1871-1945 |
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from Justin Gruelle's mural The Early Birds Reproduced from TRACES of Indiana and Midwestern History Courtesy of Indiana Historical Society For the complete story, click on Mural |
via email from Thomas H. Gallaudet III grandson of Edson Gallaudet Thank you for the nice message. I was unaware of the mural and will investigate it on your site. My Grandfather was truly way ahead of his time and certainly a free thinker. If you go to the areo files page you will find pictures of the Gallaudet D-4 which was a sea plane with the engines inside the fuselage and just the efficient part propeller tips mounted on a rotating drum amidships behind the pilot. This plane was designed for the Navy and there were very few pilots that would fly it because it was so fast. Before moving to La Quinta, I lived in Middlebury, VT and met Middlebury's oldest veteran who asked me if I was related to Edson Gallaudet... I said "Sure, he's my brother". Dr Freeman said maybe your grandfather and I said yes... It turns out that Dr. Freeman was a Navy pilot during WWI and flew the Gallaudet D-4 - small world... My Grandfather also had a working jet engine in the early 1920s and was credited with inventing the "gut" strung tennis racket. My Grandfather also had US pilot's license #2 and a French pilot's license #32 (I'm not sure why he had a French license except that some early pioneers were French). My Grandmother also had a pilot's license and was one of the first women to fly. Although my Grandfather died a year before I was born, my grandmother lived to the age of 98 and would tell stories about strapping her skirts down while flying - I guess women just didn't wear pants for any reason back then (1910+/-). Good luck with your site... Tom Gallaudet La Quinta, California USA |
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Edson F. Gallaudet Falls Hundred Feet With His Machine Chattanooga, Tennessee, July 25, 1912, Transcribed by Bob Davis - 8-24-05 Mr. Gallaudet, who is well known in banking and social circles, had been successfully flying about the field, and rose to make another flight. When about 100 feet in the air he made an acute right turn and his monoplane, evidently lacking sufficient momentum, dropped, burying its nose in the ground. Mr. Gallaudet was driven full speed to a hospital. It was found that he had received a severe scalp wound, a deep cut on the chin and left eye, and his right leg was so badly cut that an artery was severed. Mr. Gallaudet had been working for some time on his new monoplane, which is of the Neuport type, with three rear controls. |
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Collection of Roy Nagl, 12-10-03 Ancient Aviators |
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Roy has recommended this page on
Holcomb's Aerodrome website which offers an extensive collection of photographs of the D-4. To access the page, click on: If time permits, I think you will enjoy a visit to the homepage by clicking on the title above. |
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If you have any information on this Early Flier, please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper Back 
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