-1956 |
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It was stored at Santa Paula for a long time and was restored by Harry Provolt |
via email from L. Weeks, 5-3-06 Nephew of Elling Weeks In the fall of 1909, a restless teenager cast aside his father's plow, freed his horse and strode across the furrows of his family's Iowa farm. Not once did he glance back. He intercepted a grain train and rode in a bed of shucked corn to Chicago, where he enrolled in a chauffeurs school. While there, he joined an original cadre of fledglings pioneering the birth of aviation. Elling, and his conspicuous pilot friends, would soon become well-known as the Early Birds. The Early Birds were flying Wright Brothers' Flyers and homebuilt innovations. The pilot controlled the aircraft with canards, wing warpers and rudders. His body, lacking a seat belt and completely vulnerable, jutted out over the lower wing's leading edge. He was balanced precariously, in a wicker seat. Close behind his shoulders, two partially guarded oil spraying motorcycle chains hummed as they drove the hand carved propellers. |
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The aviator is Elling O. Weeks. Photo and legend from Cyndi Korsgaard, 4-3-07 Daughter of O. E. Williams |
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ANTIQUE TRANSPORTATION ART Galleries & Archives While on the site, you will be thrilled if you find the time to sample the many other paintings and photographs of planes, trains and ships. To begin, click on the HOME button and start to sample each of the many sections. I think you will be richly rewarded by the experience. |
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WebLetter 2000-2001(4) March 8, 2001 |
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| I found this beautiful photograph of Elling O. Weeks in his aeroplane on a webpage which is found on the AEEM Departmental Newsletter of Iowa State University, College of Engineering website. The author of the newsletter is Paul "P. J." Hermann, Editor-in-Chief. He has kindly granted permission to me retain it on this page. 9-4-03 |
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ON THE AeroFiles SITE You may want to use the "Find" function on "Weeks" Elling is also mentioned briefly on the entry of Weeks, Weeks-Riggs. You may access the site by clicking on: You may want to use the "Find" function on "Weeks." |
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Pioneer flyer Elling Weeks made an emergency landing (he ran out of gas) in Griffith's oat field along
the east side of Duff Avenue, north of Thirteenth Street on June 29, 1915. The first plane ever to land in Ames, it drew a big crowd.
Weeks, a Slater native, was a car dealer in Eagle Grove at the time. He paid Griffith $50.00 for the damage to his crop.
(See also: 110.604.1-2) Farwell T. Brown Photographic Archive Ames Public Library Information Services 515 Douglas Avenue Ames, IA 50010-6215 (515) 239-5656 |
There's a new ( 6 ) six page aviation article on Elling Weeks [ pilot lic. # 214 ] in the current [ February ] issue of FLIGHT JOURNAL on the magazine shelves of Borders and Barnes & Noble book stores. You will find the set of stories to be very interesting and loaded with new information along with never before published flying pictures from 1910 - 1915. Tom Weeks |
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From The Early Birds of Aviation Roster of members, 1966 Editor's Note: If you have any more information on this pioneer aviator please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper |
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