PILOT STORIES: Eddie Gardner
| Date of
Original Appointment: |
Aug. 5, 1918 |
| Date of
Last Flight: |
Oct. 13, 1919 |
| Total Hours
Flown: |
unknown |
| Total Miles
Flown: |
unknown |
Eddie Gardner, who began flying the mail in
1918, had been nicknamed "Turkey Bird" by fellow
pilots who thought his wobbly takeoffs resembled a turkey
trying to fly. Somewhat insulted, Gardner insisted on shortening
the name to "Turk Bird," which he considered more
acceptable. He had already logged over 1,400 hours of flight
time and was working as a senior flight instructor for the
Army when Gardner was asked to join the newly-formed Air Mail
Service.
Before taking to the air, Eddie Gardner
spent several years working as a chauffeur and mechanic in
Chicago, Illinois. He had a love of auto racing, and in 1910
he purchased a sporty National Motor Vehicle Company racing
car from Benjamin Lipsner (who, as the first superintendent
of the Air Mail Service, was the person who hired Gardner
as an airmail pilot).
Having survived his years in the airmail service, Eddie Gardner died on May 6, 1921 while stunt flying at a Kansas county fair.
Learn more about Gardner's amazing September
1918 roundtrip pathfinding flight between New York City and
Chicago. View Race To Chicago
on main NPM site.
Click here to learn more about Eddie
Gardner.
|
Click
on the photos to view a larger image.
