Transcript Slide 1
Thomas Selfridge When one looks towards the skies in awe of the advances in aviation technology it is easy to take for granted all of those who made sacrifices for the future. In a time when the thought of powered flight was scoffed at and dismissed as science fiction, many brave individuals had designs on what was thought to be impossible. Some men are content to travel the path laid before them. Others seek paths with much resistance which in turn bloom greater rewards. Thomas Etholen Selfridge was one of these men. Selfridge himself came from a long line of very decorated seamen from both his mother and father. Thomas however had other plans for his future. Following a distinguished academic career and an insatiable appetite for knowledge Selfridge entered the United States Military Academy at West point in September of 1899. To the surprise of many, Selfridge went against the grain of his distinguished Naval family history to pursue a career in the Army and that of powered flight. Selfridge graduated from the Academy in 1903, the same year that the Wright brothers made their first successful flight. Throughout his studies however Selfridge was always looking for and studying anything scientific literature he could find. Following his graduation Selfridge was sent to Fort Morgan, Alabama with the Coast Artillery. Selfridge had greatly desired to serve with the Field Artillery but accepted his new position none the less. Shortly after this his post was served in Alabama he was transferred near his home to the Presidio in San Francisco at the First Field Artillery which made him very happy. Following his tour of duty at the Presidio Selfridge returned to the Military Academy at West Point but this as an instructor. Selfridge enjoyed his new position and was promoted to first lieutenant in January of 1907 all while continuing his studies in scientific research. Throughout his military career Selfridge was interested in the blossoming field of aeronautics especially the contemporary aerial experiments. His research on this new field led him to the Smithsonian Institute and the Library of Congress where published reports on the subject consumed most of his free time. The Smithsonian Institute proved to be an especially good source for his new field of study because its Secretary was Dr. Samuel Piermont Langley and its Regent was none other than Dr. Alexander Graham Bell. Selfridge also studied many aeronautical articles from Europe as well. In several articles from National Geographic Selfridge read about the work Bell was doing with large kites that had tremendous lifting power. Selfridge was so taken with Bell’s work that he mustered up the courage to write him a letter to see if he could be part of these great tetrahedral kite experiments in Nova Scotia. Bell graciously excepted and Selfridge was invited to in the spring of 1907 to “Beinn Bhreagh” to witness some of his test flights. There in Nova Scotia some of the brightest minds and ambitious bodies came together to make history. Upon his arrival at Bell’s facility Selfridge noticed the working labs, test fields, and aeronautics museum and new he was home. Selfridge and Bell hit if off immediately, so much so that when Selfridge was called to Washington by the Fifth Field Artillery Bell contacted President Theodore Roosevelt who soon appointed Selfridge as the Army’s official observer in 1907. Selfridge found a way to marry his military career with his love of aeronautics; these were some of the happiest days of his life. In the midst of this great meeting of minds some inspiration was delivered when Scientific American magazine was offering a trophy for the first public fight of at least one kilometer in length. As if the contest was not enough to inspire them, an article in the same magazine quoted the Wright brothers claiming that they had solved the problem of flight. This meeting of great minds and call to arms from the Scientific American and the Wright brothers led to birth of the Aerial Experiment Association. Selfridge was ultimately named secretary of the Aerial Experiment Association a job which consisted of not only taking meticulous records of the association’s experiments but also keep a record of all aeronautical data both past and present from around the world. The association’s goal was to successfully build a powered airship based on the tetrahedral principal capable of carrying a man. The group’s first assignment consisted of finishing Dr. Bell’s project which required the successful flight of a tetrahedral cell kite capable of carrying a man. The group thought that it should finish the work of their mentor before they pursued their own ideas of manned winged flight. The Cygnet was the first to be tested and was piloted by Selfridge himself and reached a height of 168 ft for seven minutes without an engine but was destroyed during the landing. After the Cygnet was destroyed the Association moved operations to Hammondsport, New York where the Hammondsport Glider was made. In January of 1908 all of the members of the association with the exception of Bell were flying the glider and learned much of the aerodynamic principles involved in flight. Unfortunately, the Hammondsport Glider never achieved controlled flight. Soon after the Hammondsport Glider flights, Dr. Bell read the United States Governments’ specifications for the purchase of a flying machine known as No. 486, to the Aerial Experiment Association. The association knew that they were the only group that could come close to the requirements demanded by the government. On the fifteenth of January in 1908 Selfridge acting as secretary began corresponding with the Wright brothers by mail asking there advice on various projects. The requests were met favorably and the Wrights answered many questions and gave much advice. With this new knowledge gained from the Wright brothers patents each member decided it was now time to design an airplane for themselves. The first airplane was to be designed by Selfridge himself. Selfridge borrowed the best ideas from his own research, the Wright brothers, Bell’s research, and many designs from around the world. Construction of the Aerodrome I was completed on March 9th, in 1908, because the wings were covered with the red silk salvaged from Bell’s tetrahedral kite it was soon called the Red Wing. Selfridge’s pusher biplane and was first flown on March 12th, 1908. Unfortunately, Selfridge was called to Washington to fulfill his military responsibilities and missed the maiden flight of his own machine. The Red Wing traveled a distance of 318’ 11’’ at a height of 6-10’’. Although the association was pleased with the flight they were disappointed by the planes lack of lateral control. Despite its problems however, it was considered at the time to be the first public airplane flight in America because of the limited number of witnesses at the Wright brothers’ flight. It was also the first flight operated by a British subject and was commemorated with a plaque in 1934. Even though the Red Wing was repaired in order to examine the lack of lateral control Selfridge was never able to fly it himself. Selfridge was however given the credit of designing the first airplane within the Aerial Experiment Association. Selfridge is also credited with designing the genesis of all future planes and especially inspiring to the Curtiss Company’s Jenny flown in WWI and later by the fearless barnstormers. As a phoenix rises from the ashes so did the White Wing from the Red and on May 18th, 1908 it made it’s first flight with “Casey” Baldwin piloting the machine. The White Wing reached an estimated altitude of 10’ and traveled a distance of 93 yards. The next day it was Selfridge’s turn at the controls. Selfridge flew almost 150’ and once again made history by becoming the first time an officer in the United States Army had flown a powered airplane. On his second flight Selfridge flew at an altitude of over forty feet and a distance of 237’. All the members of the association made flights in the White Wing the longest a distance of 1,017’ until it was destroyed in a landing. The next airplane that was born of the Aerial Experiment Association was the June Bug which made it’s first flight on June 20th, 1908 traveling a distance of 1,266’. Soon the association decided to use the June Bug for the competition sponsored by the Scientific American. The June Bug won the contest with ease by flying the 1 kilometer distance required by officials and made a flight if 5,090’. The pilot Glen Hammond Curtis was awarded the Aero Club of America’s Pilot Certificate No. 1 June 8th, 1911. After the members of the Aerial Experiment Association went their own ways Lt. Selfridge still had obligations to fill for the United States Army. Selfridge was now testing several different kinds of aircraft for the Aeronautical Division of the Army including dirigibles and balloons which he found quite tame compared to the craft he flew with the association. Selfridge’s most notable moments with the Aeronautical Division included successfully testing a flying the first dirigible to win a U.S. Army contract and a balloon flight from Washington to Baltimore. Selfridge was soon connected with a name that had already become synonymous with flying, the Wright brothers. At this time the President Theodore Roosevelt decided that the military needed a practical aircraft. The Wright brothers made it known that they wanted the government bid and on February 10th, 1908 Captain Charles S. Wallace of the U.S. Army penned a $25,000 contract with the Wrights for a motorized airplane. The plane was designated Model A, Serial 1, and was subjected to a performance trial by an Army Signal Corps Board on which Selfridge was a member. On the parade grounds of Fort Myer on September 3rd, Orville Wright flew a successful circular flight pattern around the grounds for the next two weeks breaking the previous record each new day. One flight recorded Orville circling the parade grounds fifty-seven times/fifty-seven minutes at an altitude of over 100’. Soon Orville needed to prove his plane could pass another Army specification and that was to carry a passenger during a test flight, after much deliberation he selected Selfridge. Selfridge was honored to ride with Orville in a plane he considered much more advanced than the ones he had experience with. Dressed in his Army uniform Selfridge entered the aircraft and left his hat behind. Selfridge looked down and noticed the crowd of spectators and army personnel peppering the stone buildings on the parade grounds. Both Selfridge and Wright then heard an unusual tapping from the rear of the craft and in an instant the United States lost it’s first aviation hero. Just before they crashed to the ground Selfridge turned to Wright and looked into his face but did not say a word. U.S. Cavalrymen quickly made the scene and kept the crowd at bay. The two pilots were carried to the Fort Myer Hospital where Wright was treated for hip fractures and broken ribs. Three hours later Lt. Selfridge died on September 17th, 1908 in Fort Myer, Va. He was only twenty-six years old The next day it was determined that a longitudinal crack developed in the right propeller and sent severe vibrations throughout the craft severely effecting it’s structural integrity. Lieutenant Thomas Etholen Selfridge, 1st Field Artillery, 1st Lieutenant, gave his life in service to his country and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Lt. Selfridge was honored by his friends at the Aero Club of America with a tablet that stands in his Alma Mater at the United States Military Academy at West Point. On September 10th, 1910 his family erected a monument and plaque above his grave in Arlington Cemetery. In June of 1949 the Selfridge Air Force Base in Mt. Clemens, Michigan was dedicated to the man who gave his life to powered flight, his country, and those who dare to travels paths of the unknown. INSERT TEXT HERE…