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Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was a pilot, industrialist, and the most celebrated U.S. air ace of World War I. Rickenbacker developed an early interest in internal-combustion engines and automobiles, and, by the time the United States entered World War I, he was one of the country’s top three racing.
- Pappy Boyington
Pappy Boyington (born Dec. 4, 1912, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho,...
- Pappy Boyington
Sep 17, 2024 · Now unable to race, Rickenbacker got the job of developing a car for Duesenberg's chief investor, Edward R. Mason, the owner of the Maytag washing machine company. Photo: USAF. When Rickenbacker could race again, he soon became a household name, earning the nickname "Fast Eddie."
By June 1, 1918, Rickenbacker had become an ace, with five enemy kills to his credit. He was flying with Lufbery. Capt. James Norman Hall, and others who first saw combat with the Lafayette Escadrille, and the squadron was making history, which eventually led to 69 overall victories.
In November 1927, Rickenbacker bought a major stake in the ‘Indianapolis Motor Speedway.’ He was president of the company for over 15 years. He closed it in 1941 to save valuable fuel during the war’ he later sold it to Anton Hulman Jr. in 1945.
- Auto Racing
- World War I
- Fighting to Fly
- To The Front
- Postwar
- World War II
- Post-War
A successful driver, he earned the nickname "Fast Eddie" and participated in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911 when he relieved Lee Frayer. Rickenbacker returned to the race in 1912, 1914, 1915, and 1916 as a driver. His best and only finish was placing 10th in 1914, with his car breaking down in the other years. Among his achievements was set...
Intensely patriotic, Rickenbacker immediately volunteered for service upon the United States' entry into World War I. After having his offer to form a fighter squadron of race car drivers refused, he was recruited by Major Lewis Burgess to be the personal driver for the commander of the American Expeditionary Force, General John J. Pershing. It was...
Though considered old (he was 27) for flight training, Mitchell arranged for him to be sent to flight school at Issoudun. Moving through the course of instruction, Rickenbacker was commissioned as a first lieutenant on October 11, 1917. Upon completion of training, he was retained at the 3rd Aviation Instruction Center at Issoudun as an engineering...
Flying his first mission on April 6, 1918, in company with veteran Major Lufbery, Rickenbacker would go on to log over 300 combat hours in the air. During this early period, the 94th occasionally encountered the famed "Flying Circus" of the "Red Baron," Manfred von Richthofen. On April 26, while flying a Nieuport 28, Rickenbacker scored his first v...
Settling into postwar life, Rickenbacker married Adelaide Frost in 1922. The couple soon adopted two children, David (1925) and William (1928). That same year, he started Rickenbacker Motors with Byron F. Everitt, Harry Cunningham, and Walter Flanders as partners. Using the 94th's "Hat in the Ring" insignia to market its cars, Rickenbacker Motors s...
With the outbreak of World War II, Rickenbacker volunteered his services to the government. At the request of Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, Rickenbacker visited various Allied bases in Europe to assess their operations. Impressed by his findings, Stimson dispatched him to the Pacific on a similar tour as well as to deliver a secret message to ...
With the war concluded, Rickenbacker returned to Eastern. He remained in charge of the company until its position began to erode due to subsidies to other airlines and a reluctance to acquire jet aircraft. On October 1, 1959, Rickenbacker was forced from his position as CEO and replaced by Malcolm A. MacIntyre. Though deposed from his former positi...
Apr 29, 2020 · Despite a lack of significant formal education, he persuaded Army leadership to allow him to train as one of the first pursuit pilots. A former race car driver, he was to convert his legendary courage and aggressiveness into one of the most successful careers in military history as a fighter ace.
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Sep 1, 2000 · English intelligence was convinced that Rickenbacker was a German secret agent. It kept Rickenbacker under close watch around the clock. Far from being pro-German, however, Rickenbacker itched to fight for the Allied cause. He proposed creating an air squadron composed solely of race-driver friends.
