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When it comes to the momentous
occasion of the U.S. Coast Guard's
Centennial of Aviation, one name
reverberates among the hallways and
hangars of the Coast Guard's air
stations...Elmer Stone. But there's another
name in Coast Guard aviation lore that
most don't know about and that predates
Stone: Surfman John T. Daniels. While he
wasn't an aviator, Daniels played a
significant role in the birth of flight. He
took one of the most famous photographs
in aviation history, and perhaps in world
history - the image of the Wright Brothers'
first flight at Kitty Hawk on December 17,
1903.
As the Wright Brothers prepared for their
historic flight, Surfmen from the Coast
Guards predecessor, the US Lifesaving
Service assisted the brothers in their
preparations and ultimately took the
iconic image.
Coast Guard Aviator #1, Elmer Stone.
Left: Perhaps the most famous aviation photograph of all time, taken as the Wright Brothers took to the skies for the first time on December 17, 1903. The photograph was taken by Surfman John T. Daniels, beginning the US Coast Guard's journey into aviation.