Hugh Robinson (aviator)

Hugh Armstrong Robinson (May 13, 1881 – 1963) was an American pioneer in the earliest days of aviation, combining his skills of inventor, pilot, and daredevil.

There he coined the term and invented the 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.

In 1911, he took a seaplane on the exhibition circuit, flying at demonstrations and fairs across North America and Europe.

Also in 1912, Robinson took a Curtiss Model E seaplane to Europe at Monaco, and flew impressively in an aviation meet there.

After a long danger-filled life, surviving 15 major crashes and a massive train wreck, he died not quite two months short of his 81st birthday, March 23, 1963, of natural causes at his home at Tacoma Park, MD.