Foil: 14 Panel: Retired United Pilots Association Column: 1 Line: 11

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Ms. Lillian S. Nibur

Ed soloed on a Jenny in May, 1928, and earned his commercial license number 3693 four months later. He bought a New Standard, and was in business for himself at age 19. He flew in the Gates Air Circus and the Empire Air Circus, and then barnstormed the East and Midwest for about 4 years. On one particular day he has a record I don't think any of us can match - 668 passengers, 4 at a time. That's 167 sorties. The passengers, most of who had never been in an airplane before, loved the trip around the pattern, with a few wifferdills on downwind.
Ed operated an airport in Reading, PA from 1934-1940. He was so successful that he talked the city into building a new and bigger airport, and selected the site of what today is Reading Aviation. He expected to be the FBO, but politics took over and in the end he created his own demise.
That's when he joined United, with approximately 10,000 hours and a brand new instrument rating. He flew the DC-3, 4,6,7,8 and the B-720 and retired in Nov, 1969. He flew the first flight LAX direct Havana in June 1969 with a pistol to his head, the longest hijacking in UAL's history at the time. The worst part of that was that when he flew back to Miami, U.S. customs took away his Cuban cigar! Got back just in time to fly to Phoenix and pin on his son's wings at graduation from Air Force Pilot Training. Bad part was that he upstaged Chapie James, the first Black General in the Air Force, who was the graduation speaker since his son Dan was in the class. It seems that everyone was more interested in hearing Ed tell of his hijacking than hear about Chapie's exploits in Vietnam.
Ed had a wonderful career when aviation was an honorable and respected profession. He passed away peacefully in his sleep on Aug 12, 2004, 3 months short of his 95th birthday.