First High Altitude Aeroplane Flights, 1905
Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz County, California
Marker Inscription
FIRST HIGH ALTITUDE AEROPLANE FLIGHTS MARCH 1905 One hundred years ago, in the skies above this monument, three soaring flights were made on March 16th, 17th, and 20th, by an aeroplane- glider flown by Aeronaut and parachute dare- devil, Daniel John Maloney, which had been designed and built by Professor John J. Montgomery. The frail craft, weighing only 42 pounds, was constructed of spruce, wire, and fortified canvas, and had tandem-wings with a 24 ft. wingspan and a four sided tail. It was taken aloft here at the then Leonard Ranch by a smoke-balloon rented by Fred Swanton and owned by Frank Hamilton, to heights of 800 ft., 1,100 ft., and 3,000 feet. The longest flight lasted over 18 minutes and covered over 2 miles. From a letter by Prof. Montgomery to his mother... "...my machine flew three times, each time better than the other and descended beautifully, going in different directions under perfect control of the aeronaut, and landing in a spot selected by him as gently as a feather." These flights were the result of 22 years of experimentation and flight testing by Professor Montgomery, beginning with his first glider flight in 1883 at Otay Mesa near San Diego and ending with his accidental death in 1911. Called the "Father of Basic Flying", his successes and contributions to the development of flight were heralded by the world's press at the time, but are now largely forgotten. DEDICATED MARCH 19, 2005 E CLAMPUS VITUS EL VICEROY MARQUES DE BRANCIFORTE CHAPTER 1797 SANTA CRUZ, CA. E CLAMPUS VITUS CAPITULUS REDIVIVUS YERBA BUENA #1 SAN FRANCISCO, CA. HILLER AVIATION MUSEUM SAN CARLOS, CA. APTOS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND MUSEUM CAPITOLA/APTOS ROTARY
Erected by E Clampus Vitus
The Story
In March 1905, in the skies above this spot near Aptos, daredevil aeronaut Daniel John Maloney made three soaring flights in a tandem-wing glider designed and built by Professor John J. Montgomery. Weighing just 42 pounds and made of spruce, wire, and canvas, the craft was carried aloft by a balloon and released from as high as 3,000 feet, one flight lasting over 18 minutes under full control. The feats capped more than two decades of Montgomery's experiments, which began with a glider flight near San Diego in 1883.
Why it matters
These controlled high-altitude glides were among the pioneering achievements of American aeronautics, made just as the age of powered flight was dawning.
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Related people
- · John J. Montgomery
- · Daniel John Maloney
Related events
- · 1905 Montgomery glider flights
Themes & tags
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First High Altitude Aeroplane Flights
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In March 1905, in the skies above this Santa Cruz County site, aeronaut Daniel John Maloney made three daring high-altitude flights in a tandem-wing glider designed and built by Professor John J. Montgomery. Released from a balloon and gliding controlled back to earth, these flights were among the pioneering achievements of American aviation, predating powered flight's public triumphs. Montgomery, a California scientist, was one of the earliest experimenters in heavier-than-air flight.
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