Francis Thomas Evans Sr.
Francis Thomas Evans Sr. | |
|---|---|
Arlington, Virginia | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1904–1907, 1909–1938, 1939–1944 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | Seaplane Squadron, Azores, 1918 |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
Francis Thomas Evans Sr. (3 June 1886 – 14 March 1974) was a pioneer aviator. He was one of the earliest
Biography
Evans was born in
By early 1917, Evans was the most experienced Curtiss N-9 floatplane pilot in the world. Although the consensus among aviators and even the N-9's manufacturer was that the N-9 could not be looped, Evans believed it was possible. On February 13, 1917, he flew an N-9 over the Gulf of Mexico off Pensacola, Florida, and began attempts to loop it. He succeeded on his fourth try, becoming one of the first persons ever to loop a seaplane (the first pilot to loop a seaplane was Polish aviator Jan Nagórski on 17 September 1916 in Grigorovich M-9 flying boat). Lacking witnesses, he flew over Naval Air Station Pensacola and repeated the feat. In 1936, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross for this achievement.[5]
More important, however, were the stall and spin recovery techniques he discovered that day. During his first three loop attempts, the N-9 stalled before he reached the apex of the loop and fell into a spin. He found that by releasing back-pressure on the stick and aggressively applying opposite rudder to the direction of the spin he could change the spin into a normal dive and recover, something previously thought impossible in an N-9. His stall and spin recovery techniques remain in use to this day by aviators around the world.[5]
During World War I, Evans was stationed in the Azores in 1918 in command of a seaplane squadron.[4]
Evans took actions after the 29 June 1925 earthquake in Santa Barbara, California, to help save the city from fire, for which he received a letter of commendation from the United States Secretary of the Navy and a resolution from the City of Santa Barbara.[4]
The Marine Corps lacked any kind of
Evans was grounded after two serious crashes in 1935 and was retired for physical disability in July 1938. However, he was recalled to duty in October 1939 and continued to serve in the Marine Corps until December 1944.[1][4]
Family
Evans was married to Elizabeth Kibbey, daughter of John D. Kibbey and his wife Clara Egerton, of Marshalltown, Iowa. Their oldest son,
A younger son, Captain Douglas K. Evans, served in the U.S. Army Air Forces and then in the U.S. Air Force in the
Death
Francis T. Evans Sr., died on 14 March 1974 after six years of declining health. He is buried in
References
- ^ a b c "Colonel Francis Thomas Evans" (PDF). Naval History and Heritage Command. 28 November 1950. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ^ "Ohio Wesleyan Chapter". Catalogue of Beta Theta Pi. James T. Brown. 1917. pp. 633–634. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ISBN 978-0945274346. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Francis Thomas Evans, Sr". Early Aviators. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
- ^ a b Knapp, Walter, "The Marines Take Wing," Aviation History, May 2012, p. 51.
- ^ The Francis T Evans Story
- ^ Francis T. Evans Elementary School Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
External links
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