A Landing on a Ship
On January 18, 1911, pilot Eugene Ely aimed his airplane toward an unusual landing place: a wooden platform built on a warship. The ship, USS Pennsylvania, was anchored in San Francisco Bay. Below the airplane was water; ahead was a short stretch of wood. Ely had to land and stop before reaching the end.
The attempt was a test of an important idea. Could an airplane land on a ship and later take off again? Airplanes were still a new invention, and ships had not been built with flight decks. If the experiment worked, it could help people imagine new uses for aircraft at sea.
Ely flew a biplane, an airplane with two main wings stacked one above the other. It was also a pusher: its propeller was behind the pilot and pushed the plane forward. As Ely approached the Pennsylvania over calm water, he lined up with the temporary platform built above part of the ship. The platform gave him a flat surface for landing, but it was much shorter than an ordinary landing field.
- anchored:
- Held in place by an anchor so a ship does not drift away.
- temporary:
- Meant to last for a limited time, not permanently.
- resistance:
- A force that works against motion.
- guarantee:
- To make certain that something will happen.
- absorb:
- To take in or receive something, such as energy.
- recover:
- To bring an aircraft back safely after a flight.
- demonstrate:
- To show that something is possible or true.
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Main Idea
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Why was landing on the Pennsylvania more challenging than landing on an ordinary field?
- 2How did the ropes and sandbags help Ely's airplane stop?
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About this explanatory article passage for 5th Grade
“A Landing on a Ship” is a explanatory article reading passage about Early naval aviation, written for 5th Grade. It takes about 3 minutes to read (497 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.