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Lt. George E. M. Kelly history spotlight graphic (U.S. Air Force graphic).
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Lt. George E. M. Kelly
Posted 5/10/2006
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On May 10, 1911, Lt. George E. M. Kelly, an adventurous, transplanted Englishman, was the first American military aviator to lose his life due to a crash of an airplane he was piloting. He took off in Airplane No. 2 on his primary pilot qualification flight at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. During his landing attempt, a wheel brace broke, tossing the plane out of control. To avoid plowing through a tent of 11th Infantry Soldiers, he banked the plane sharply and crashed into the ground and was fatally injured.
He was born in London, England, in 1878, and in 1902, he became a naturalized American citizen. After taking flying instruction from Glen Curtiss, he volunteered for flight training along with 20 other young officers. Lt. Kelly's assignment at Fort Sam Houston was testing the Curtiss biplane. During his training, he broke a speed record by flying 75 miles per hour on a five-minute flight. Lt. Kelly was the second Army officer killed in an airplane as Lt. George Selfridge, a passenger riding with Orville Wright, was the first fatality.
Flying activities were halted immediately at the aviation field because of Lt. Kelly's fatal accident, and in June 1911, all personnel, the two Signal Corps airplanes, and tools and equipment were transferred to College Park, Md.
Aviation training returned to San Antonio when Maj. Benjamin Foulois, the "Father of Military Aviation," selected a new aviation field five miles south of the city when expanding activities of the Aviation Flying Section of the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Initially, the site chosen was called the South San Antonio Aviation Camp. In June 1917, it became Camp Kelly, then Kelly Field, in honor of Lt Kelly.
During World War I, Kelly Field served as a reception and testing center for recruits and as a training center for pilots, mechanics, cooks, and bakers, as well as engineering and supply officers. Most American World War I flyers trained or were processed at Kelly Field. During World War II, Kelly developed into a huge industrial complex that stored and distributed material and modified or repaired aircraft, engines, and related equipment. During the next 40 years, Kelly Field expanded into a worldwide logistics and support capability. Kelly Field was renamed Kelly Air Force Base in 1948 after the Air Force became a separate branch of the armed services. |
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