PILOT STORIES: Eaton,
John L.
| Air Mail
Service Began: |
September 8, 1920 |
| Air Mail
Service Ended: |
January 9, 1924 |
| Assignments: |
Reno, Nevada |
| |
August 16, 1921 –
San Francisco, California |
| |
March 16, 1922 – Reno,
Nevada |
Despite working for the U.S. government during
the years of prohibition, America's air mail pilots
had a reputation as hard drinking and hard living men. While
many pilots were neither, some indulged to extremes. One such
pilot was John "Shorty" Eaton. Eaton was born
in San Francisco, California on July 12, 1898. He served in
World War I, commanding the 324th aero squadron. He joined
the Air Mail Service on September 8, 1920.
Eaton flew steadily for the service for the
next several years. Unfortunately, he was unable to restrain
his drinking to off hours. He was fired on January 9, 1924
for repeated drunkenness, having already been cited at least
twice before for incidents, including one in which he threatened
a ground crew member with a gun. |
