Hugh Armstrong Robinson
Encyclopedia
Hugh Armstrong Robinson, born May 13, 1881–1963, Neosho
, Missouri
. Robinson was pioneer in the earliest days of aviation
, combining his skills of inventor, pilot
, and daredevil
. Among other things, he is said to have been the third person to successfully fly an aircraft after the Wright Brothers
in a plane of his own design and construction and the first person to make an air-sea rescue
. Robinson also devised the art of dive-bombing.
In late 1910 Hugh Robinson became a pilot and chief engineer for Glenn Curtiss
at Curtiss Aviation, North Island
, California
. There he invented a tailhook
system that helped make possible Eugene Ely's first ever flight, on January 18, 1911, to the deck of a ship, the USS Pennsylvania
, by allowing the airplane to stop quickly and safely. Robinson took part in Curtiss' development of hydroplanes. In 1911 he took a hydroplane on the exhibition circuit, flying at demonstrations and fairs across North America
.
At Kinloch Field
in St. Louis, Missouri
on March 1, 1912, Albert Berry made the first successful parachute jump, from a Benoist Airplane, designed and built by Hugh Robinson and Tom Benoist. He landed safely on the Jefferson Barracks parade grounds. The parachute and the apparatus used to support and release it were also designed and built by Robinson. Also in 1912, Robinson took a Curtiss Hydroplane to Europe at Monaco
and flew impressively in an aviation meet there.
Robinson was the first person to complete a 360-degree vertical loop in an airplane. He performed this stunt as the "Circle of Death" at hundreds of demonstrations around the world.
Surviving 15 major crashes in his lifetime, he died in 1963 of natural causes.
In 1999, Neosho Municipal Airport in Neosho, Missouri
was renamed Neosho Hugh Robinson Airport
in his honor.
Neosho, Missouri
Neosho is the most populous city in and the county seat of Newton County, Missouri, United States. Neosho is an integral part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Robinson was pioneer in the earliest days of aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
, combining his skills of inventor, pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, and daredevil
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
. Among other things, he is said to have been the third person to successfully fly an aircraft after the Wright Brothers
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
in a plane of his own design and construction and the first person to make an air-sea rescue
Air-sea rescue
Air-sea rescue is the coordinated search and rescue of the survivors of emergency water landings as well as people who have survived the loss of their sea-going vessel. ASR can involve a wide variety of resources including seaplanes, helicopters, submarines, rescue boats and ships...
. Robinson also devised the art of dive-bombing.
In late 1910 Hugh Robinson became a pilot and chief engineer for Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Hammond Curtiss was an American aviation pioneer and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle then motorcycle builder and racer, later also manufacturing engines for airships as early as 1906...
at Curtiss Aviation, North Island
Naval Air Station North Island
Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island is located at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay and is the home port of several aircraft carriers of the United States Navy...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. There he invented a tailhook
Tailhook
A tailhook, also arresting hook or arrester hook, is a device attached to the empennage of some military fixed wing aircraft...
system that helped make possible Eugene Ely's first ever flight, on January 18, 1911, to the deck of a ship, the USS Pennsylvania
USS Pennsylvania (ACR-4)
The second USS Pennsylvania , also referred to "Armored Cruiser No. 4", and later renamed Pittsburgh and numbered CA-4, was a United States Navy armored cruiser, the lead ship of her class....
, by allowing the airplane to stop quickly and safely. Robinson took part in Curtiss' development of hydroplanes. In 1911 he took a hydroplane on the exhibition circuit, flying at demonstrations and fairs across North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
At Kinloch Field
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is a Class B international airport serving Greater St. Louis. It is located approximately northwest of downtown St. Louis in unincorporated St. Louis County between Berkeley and Bridgeton. It is the largest and busiest airport in the state with 250 daily...
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
on March 1, 1912, Albert Berry made the first successful parachute jump, from a Benoist Airplane, designed and built by Hugh Robinson and Tom Benoist. He landed safely on the Jefferson Barracks parade grounds. The parachute and the apparatus used to support and release it were also designed and built by Robinson. Also in 1912, Robinson took a Curtiss Hydroplane to Europe at Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
and flew impressively in an aviation meet there.
Robinson was the first person to complete a 360-degree vertical loop in an airplane. He performed this stunt as the "Circle of Death" at hundreds of demonstrations around the world.
Surviving 15 major crashes in his lifetime, he died in 1963 of natural causes.
In 1999, Neosho Municipal Airport in Neosho, Missouri
Neosho, Missouri
Neosho is the most populous city in and the county seat of Newton County, Missouri, United States. Neosho is an integral part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area....
was renamed Neosho Hugh Robinson Airport
Neosho Hugh Robinson Airport
Neosho Hugh Robinson Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles south of the central business district of Neosho, a city in Newton County, Missouri, United States.- Facilities and aircraft :...
in his honor.