From the Captain to the Colonel

Eastern Airlines has become the biggest money maker of all U.S. commercial airlines; yet it has faced extinction twice in its recent history, in 1960 and in 1973.

Its past history, largely centering around Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, one of the legendary figures of American aviation, is every bit as colorful. Here for the first time is the full account of Rickenbacker’s feuds with the top names among Eastern’s competition—C. R. Smith of American, W. R. Patterson of United, and C. E. Woolman of Delta—as well as with such prominent political figures as Franklin Delano Roosevelt and James Farley.

Robert J. Serling, author of Wings and The President’s Plane Is Missing, has spent most of his professional life in and around the aviation industry as a journalist and author. His novel The Left Seat stands as an industry classic, while his second novel, The President’s Plane Is Missing, was a major best-seller in all editions. His many nonfiction books (three airline histories among them), his articles, and his other activities in this field have earned him numerous citations, including three Aviation/Space Writers Association awards.