First Lieutenant Thomas Etholen Selfridge (February 8, 1882 – September 17, 1908) was the first person to die in a powered aircraft crash. First Lieutenant is a military rank. ... February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1882 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge

Selfridge graduated from West Point in 1903. He was 31st in a class of 96; Douglas MacArthur was first. After receiving his commission, he was assigned to the Signal Corps Aeronautical Division at Fort Myer, Virginia. There he helped design the Army Dirigible Number One. He was also the United States government representative to the Aerial Experiment Association, which was chaired by Alexander Graham Bell, and became it's first secretary. Original caption reads: Lieutenant Thomas E. Selfridge, Army Signal Corps, was a Californian and graduated from West Point in 1903. ... Original caption reads: Lieutenant Thomas E. Selfridge, Army Signal Corps, was a Californian and graduated from West Point in 1903. ... The Chapel at West Point The United States Military Academy, also known simply as West Point and USMA, is a U.S. military academy and former Army fort. ... 1903 has the latest occurring solstices and equinoxes for 400 years, because the Gregorian calendar hasnt had a leap year for seven years or a century leap year since 1600. ... General Douglas MacArthur aboard a battle ship toward the end of World War II, 1945 Douglas MacArthur (26 January 1880-5 April 1964) was an American military leader. ... Fort Myer is a U.S. Army base located adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. It is now the home of the Air Force Chief of Staff and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. ... State nickname: Old Dominion Other U.S. States Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Governor Mark R. Warner (D) Official languages English Area 110,862 km² (35th)  - Land 102,642 km²  - Water 8,220 km² (7. ... The Aerial Experiment Association (AEA) was formed in 1907 under the tutelage of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell. ... Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a scientist, inventor, and founder of the Bell Canada, who was known as the father of the telephone. ...

Selfridge took his first flight on December 6, 1907 on Alexander Graham Bell's tetrahedral kite, the "Cygnet", a strange structure made up of 3,393 winged cells. It took him 168 feet in the air above Bras d'Or Lake in Nova Scotia, Canada and flew for an amazing seven minutes. This was the first recorded flight carrying a passenger of any heavier-than-aircraft in Canada. He also flew a craft built by a Canadian engineer, Frederick W. "Casey" Baldwin, which soared three feet off the ground for about 100 feet. December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1907 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Cygnet (or Aerodrome #5) was an extremely unorthodox early aircraft, with a wall-like wing made up of 360 tetrahedral cells. ... Bras dOr Lake, Nova Scotia. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (One defends and the other conquers) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Lieutenant Governor Myra A. Freeman Premier John Hamm (PC) Area 55,283 km² (12th) Land 53,338 km² Water 1,946 km² (3. ...

Selfridge designed Red Wing, the Aerial Experiment Association's first powered aircraft. On a bitterly cold March 12, 1908, the Red Wing, piloted by "Casey" Baldwin, sped over the icy surface of Keuka Lake near Hammondsport, New York on runners, bounded into the air, and actually flew for a distance of 318 feet, 11 inches, before collapsing to the ground, leaving the pilot slightly bruised. This would be the first public demonstration of a powered aircraft flight in the United States. Red Wing was destroyed in a crash on its second flight on March 17, 1908, and only the engine could be salvaged. The Red Wing (or Aerodrome #1) was an early aircraft designed by Thomas Selfridge and built by the Aerial Experiment Association in 1908. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in Leap years). ... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Keuka Lake is an unusual member of the Finger Lakes because it is Y-shaped instead of long and narrow. ... Hammondsport is a village located in Steuben County, New York. ... March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in Leap years). ... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

When Orville Wright came to Fort Myer to demonstrate the Wright Flyer for the Army, Selfridge arranged to fly along while Orville piloted the craft. The Wright Flyer circled Fort Myer 4½ times at 150 feet. Halfway through the fifth circuit, there was a loud bang and the end of the propeller blade fell off. The Flyer's vibration caused the propeller to hit a guy wire, tearing the wire out of its fastening and disintegrating the propeller, which caused damage to the canvas and wooden machine. To bring the Flyer under control, Wright shut off the engine and managed to glide the Flyer to about 75 feet. But the Flyer nose-dived to the ground. Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 - January 30, 1948), the younger of the Wright brothers, seen as one of the fathers of heavier-than-air flight. ... The Wright Flyer (often retrospectively referred to as Flyer I) was the first powered aircraft designed and built by the Wright Brothers. ...

Orville later described the accident that killed Selfridge in a letter to his brother, Wilbur: Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 - May 30, 1912), the elder of the Wright brothers, seen as one of the fathers of heavier-than-air flight. ...

On the fourth round, everything seemingly working much better and smoother than any former flight, I started on a larger circuit with less abrupt turns.

It was on the very first slow turn that the trouble began.

...A hurried glance behind revealed nothing wrong, but I decided to shut off the power and descend as soon as the machine could be faced in a direction where a landing could be made.

This decision was hardly reached, in fact I suppose it was not over two or three seconds from the time the first taps were heard, until two big thumps, which gave the machine a terrible shaking, showed that something had broken...

The machine suddenly turned to the right and I immediately shut off the power.

...Quick as a flash, the machine turned down in front and started straight for the ground. Our course for 50 feet was within a very few degrees of the perpendicular.

Lt. Selfridge up to this time had not uttered a word, though he took a hasty glance behind when the propeller broke and turned once or twice to look into my face, evidently to see what I thought of the situation.

But when the machine turned head first for the ground, he exclaimed 'Oh! Oh!' in an almost inaudible voice.

When the craft hit the ground, both Selfridge and Wright were thrown against the remaining wires. Selfridge was thrown against one of the wooden uprights of the framework and his skull was fractured. He died later that evening, while Orville Wright suffered severe injuries and was hospitalized for three months. Selfridge was 26 years old.

Thomas Selfridge was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 3, Lot 2158, Grid QR-13/14. Selfridge Field air base, located outside of Detroit, Michigan, is named for him. Arlington Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, is an American military cemetery established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Robert E. Lees home. ... Selfridge Field is a joint military community reserve and National Guard training facility near Mt. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Michigan Founded  -Incorporated July 24, 1701 1816  County Wayne County Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick...

References

• "Selfridge Field and the beginnings of air power". . URL accessed on May 19, 2005.
• "Frederick W. (Casey) Baldwin". . URL accessed on May 19, 2005.
• "[1]". A Most Noble Experiment. URL accessed on May 19, 2005.
• "Aviation in Canada 1938". . URL accessed on May 19, 2005.
• "History of Selfridge". . URL accessed on May 19, 2005.