Theodore G. Ellyson

Commander Theodore Gordon " Spuds " Ellyson ( born February 27, 1885 † February 27, 1928 ) was the first U.S. Navy officer who was formally trained as a pilot.

The U.S. Navy ordered Ellyson on December 23, 1910 Flight Training in the Glenn Curtiss Aviation Camp at North Iceland, San Diego. Ellyson reached the camp in January 1911. After a thorough briefing on the Curtiss A-1 Ellyson first flew on 31 March. The A-1 Triad was the first aircraft of the U.S. Navy and was named U.S. Navy Airplane No.1. On 1 July 1911, the machine of Glenn Curtiss with Ellyson as a passenger was flown from Lake Keuka from. Ellyson flew on the evening of the day the machine twice alone.

On July 3, Ellyson made ​​the first night flight of the U.S. Navy from Lake Keuka to Hammondsport, New York. Curtiss transferred after the second machine, the A-2. On September 7, Ellyson was flying from a makeshift launch pad at Lake Keuka. The successful tests were intended to simulate launch from the flight deck. On October 25, flew Ellyson and Lieutenant JH Towers a cross-country flight of 180 km in 122 minutes.

The U.S. Navy experimented then with compressed air aircraft catapult at Annapolis. The attempt on 31 July 1912, Ellyson but failed. A crosswind pushed the machine into the water and Ellyson was able to escape unharmed by swimming.

Ellyson was awarded the Navy Cross for his achievements. Later he moved to the then new submarine genre. Ellyson died in a plane crash on the Chesapeake Bay.