Eddie Rickenbacker

by Lewis, W. David

• ISBN13: 9780801882449
• ISBN10: 0801882443
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-11-15
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr

Summary

Eddie Rickenbacker epitomized the American spirit in the twentieth century. Daring, skilled, and rugged -- moving fast and defying death -- he drove race cars in the early days of the automobile, then flew canvas-over-wooden-frame aeroplanes in the Great War, downing twenty-six enemy flyers and emerging at war's end as the nation's ace of aces. Only Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing and the much-decorated Sgt. Alvin York emerged from that struggle as equally lauded American heroes.Failing as an automobile maker after the war, Rickenbacker returned to aviation, joined Eastern Airlines in 1934, and quickly reached the top of the corporate ladder. With the start of World War II, he took on special missions to theaters of combat, surviving twenty-one days adrift on a small rubber raft after his plane went down at sea. But the seemingly indestructible Eddie did not thrive well under the new competitive conditions in the postwar airline industry. Despite having built Eastern into a major carrier, he departed the company under pressure in 1963.W. David Lewis's biography of Rickenbacker reveals both the achievements and the vulnerability of this quintessential American hero. Rickenbacker embodied what was new, exciting, and romantic about the country in the postwar years. His poignant story also sheds light on the ephemerality of American success and the fragility of celebrity.Capturing Rickenbacker's life in rich and vivid detail, W. David Lewis has written the definitive biography of America's ace of aces.

Author Biography

Until his death in September 2007, W. David Lewis was a Distinguished University Professor at Auburn University.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Prologue. A Boy and His Flying Machine	1	(2)
Chapter 1. Starting Line	3	(18)
Chapter 2. Ignition	21	(25)
Chapter 3. Acceleration	46	(18)
Chapter 4. Full Throttle	64	(24)
Chapter 5. Shifting Gears	88	(24)
Chapter 6. Takeoff	112	(29)
Chapter 7. Learning Curve	141	(18)
Chapter 8. A Matter of Luck	159	(27)
Chapter 9. Climax	186	(32)
Chapter 10. Homecoming	218	(24)
Chapter 11. Domestic Front	242	(40)
Chapter 12. Frustrations	282	(25)
Chapter 13. Comeback	307	(12)
Chapter 14. Apex	319	(34)
Chapter 15. Pivot	353	(29)
Chapter 16. Call to Duty	382	(32)
Chapter 17. Pacific Mission	414	(36)
Chapter 18. New Mandate	450	(34)
Chapter 19. Anticipating Victory	484	(17)
Chapter 20. Turbulence and Descent	501	(29)
Chapter 21. End Game	530	(19)
Epilogue. In the Arena	549	(4)
Acknowledgments	553	(4)
Notes	557	(84)
Essay on Primary Sources	641	(12)
Index	653