The Aviators: Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, and the Epic Age of Flight

By Winston Groom

Written by gifted storyteller Winston Groom (author of Forrest Gump), The Aviators tells the saga of three extraordinary aviators--Charles Lindbergh, Eddie Rickenbacker, and Jimmy Doolittle--and how they redefine heroism through their genius, daring, and uncommon courage.
 
This is the fascinating story of three extraordinary heroes who defined aviation during the great age of flight. These cleverly interwoven tales of their heart-stopping adventures take us from the feats of World War I through the heroism of World War II and beyond, including daring military raids and survival-at-sea, and will appeal to fans of Unbroken, The Greatest Generation, andFlyboys. With the world in peril in World War II, each man set aside great success and comfort to return to the skies for his most daring mission yet. Doolittle, a brilliant aviation innovator, would lead the daring Tokyo Raid to retaliate for Pearl Harbor; Lindbergh, hero of the first solo flight across the Atlantic, would fly combat missions in the South Pacific; and Rickenbacker, World War I flying ace, would bravely hold his crew together while facing near-starvation and circling sharks after his plane went down in a remote part of the Pacific. Groom's rich narrative tells their intertwined stories--from broken homes to Medals of Honor (all three would receive it); barnstorming to the greatest raid of World War II; front-page triumph to anguished tragedy; and near-death to ultimate survival--as all took to the sky, time and again, to become exemplars of the spirit of the "greatest generation."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Nov 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781426211577

Winston Groom

Winston Groom, bestselling author of eight novels and several non-fiction books, wrote the acclaimed #1 New York Times bestsellers Forrest Gump and Gumpisms: The Wit and Wisdom of Forrest Gump. The phenomenal hit film Forrest Gump garnered six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor. He lives in Point Clear, Alabama.

Reviews for The Aviators

[addunn3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The author tells the stories of three aviators of the first half century and what their impact on aviation was as well as their impact on Americans. Well written, though occasionally, seemed to add a bit of his bias into the accounts.

[jenniferrobb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found this book at a library book sale and didn't read the subtitle to realize it was mainly about the history of three men in aviation history rather than an overview of aviation history. Still, it was interesting to learn about these aviation pioneers, their backgrounds, and how they advanced aviation.

[lanewillson_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was halfway through The Aviators: Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, and the Epic Age of Flight before I became realized that it’s author, Winston Groom, was the man holding the pen that created Forrest Gump and many other works of fiction and reality. Needless to say, I will be reading many of these books. I knew very little about these three heroes of aviation, probably no more the paragraph representing each in my 8th grade American History text, the whole page in the case of Lindbergh. Each had an incredible story whose greatness was testified to by those who served with them. Oddly, the stereotypical "ace" being thought of as a short egotist with an adrenalin addiction, each of these men was confident, skilled, and to a surprising degree - humble. All three stories were riveting, but Lindbergh’s was the most intriguing. Every time I would find myself disliking Lindbergh, he would change the course of his life and display the honor and courage found in all three men. But each time he reached this level of esteem, he would again make you think he was an ignorant daredevil willing to risk his reputation and good name. These men, heroes all, gave birth to and nurtured the technology that twice saved the world from itself, and gave us a start so great that before aviation could celebrate three-quarters of a century, it allowed a man to walk on the moon.

[yvonne.sevignykaiser · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I saw a review of this book in the WSJ and added it to my list of books to check out at the library. I am glad I did, Groom has written a very readable look at three American aviation pioneers and their accomplishments. All three men did not have a father in the picture they came from poor backgrounds but did have a strong mother figure.

Rickenbacker, was a WWI flying ace and he started commercial aviation in the US. He made and lost fortune in the great depression but came back to create another. He was called upon by his government many times to help with tour to bring up troop morale. He pushed for more to happen with aviation in the USA but many felt it was a fools folly at the time and that air power was not feasible or important.

Lindbergh, as we many of us know made the trans Atlantic solo flight from New York to Paris. The flight was a challenge to see how far a plane could fly a look to the future someday of commercial aviation. There was a $25000 prize awarded to the man who accomplished the feat. Lindbergh made his money barnstorming and had to go to friends to help raise the money he needed to build the plane to attempt this flight. Others had already tried and died trying to accomplish the trip. He was in a race against at least two other teams who had announced their intentions. It was this successful flight that threw Lindbergh into the limelight of the press and the paparazzi of the time period. They were so ridiculous on one occasion to get a picture they ran over a family dog showing no signs of concern or care for what they had done. Lindbergh grew to hate and his efforts to avoid the press led the press to write whatever if felt wether it was true or not. Groom takes the time to give Lindbergh his day in court for speeches that were taken out of context or missed what Lindbergh was trying to point out. Before WWII, LIndbergh was with those that did not want to get dragged into WWII, the majority of the country was war weary and still recovering financially from WWI and the Great Depression. Many in Roosevelt's cabinet including Roosevelt wished to stomp the life out of Lindbergh.

Dolittle, led an air raid against Tokyo which turned the tide of the WWII in the allies favor. His air raid combined with cryptographers who finally figured out the Japanese code helped to close the gap and eventually win the Pacific Theatre of the war.

All three men allowed themselves to be human guinea pigs in various aspects of aviation to show that it could be done and that they themselves would not ask anyone else to do it unless they themselves did it too. They were adventurers, heroes and of course men who were flawed but who all had a strong love for their country and who were willing to die for their country.

I will be adding this book to my own library what a great reference on these men. Highly recommend!

[buffalogr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book intertwines the lives of three great American aviators: Lindbergh, Doolittle and Rickenbacker. They are all known for individual events that changed history and this book provides the other parts of their stories and describes how those changes were institutionalized by their actions during the rest of their lives. I thought that Groom did a good job with Rickenbacker and Doolittle, but did not describe the controversy around Lindbergh adequately. I was; however, enlightened by the other things that he did during his lifetime...including flying combat during WWII as a civilian.

[vgaharris · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not one of Groom's better efforts. If you are familiar with aviation technology and military aircraft designations you may find it a more readable effort. I thought it got bogged down in mountains of detail that detracted from the narrative.

[stbalbach_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Aviators starts off awkwardly as it jumps between person and time period but once you get used to the pacing of the round-robbin technique sit back and enjoy a fine 3-for-one biography of aviation pioneers from the heroic age of flight. There are many famous events skillfully retold by novelist Winston Groom. Most of it is new to me but even the parts I am familiar with give the impression of fresh perspective and new details. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Robertson Dean whose gravely voice is perfect for the heroic theme. Groom gives time to all aspects, for example not just Lindbergh's cross Atlantic flight but his actions during WWII and later environmentalism which I didn't know about; similar with Doolittle and Rickenbacker who led interesting lives. What these guys had in common Groom doesn't really say other than fame, airplanes and heroism. There's no thesis but it's a well done retelling. There are many other books by and about the three, which I hope to dip into, and I now have some perspective on their importance, it is an excellent easy to read introduction.

[deaconbernie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Serviceable recounting of the activities of three of America's greatest air heros.

[stevesmits · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Aviators is the history of three of the pioneers of aviation in America: Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle and Charles Lindbergh. It tells the story of the exploits of these men from WWI through WWII. Lindbergh's history is fairly well-known and his story is told well by Groom. Of particular interest is his loss of popularity for the positions he took prior to WWII -- his isolationist views and acceptance of the inevitability of German domination of Europe. Groom suggests that his anti-semitism was overstated by his critics, particularly in the context of sentiments of the times. In any event, he rallied around the American war efforts after Pearl Harbor, but was ostracized by Roosevelt for his pre-war remarks. What is little known is that Lindbergh managed to get engaged in the air war in the Pacific as a techical "consultant" of the air industry. He flew a number of combat missions and shot down a Japanese fighter. Groom reveals that Lindbergh's technical advice on how to better tune fighter aircraft was a significant aid to their capability.Rickenbacker was the most notable American air ace of WWI. Post war he was an early developer of commercial aviation (after a failed stint as an automobile manufacturer). Rickenbacker, like Lindbergh, became involved as a civilian in the Pacific war. He was lost at sea after his B-17 ferrying him ditched at sea. There is a remarkable recounting of being adrift for several weeks before luckily being rescued.Doolittle was a top drawer pilot who stayed in the military following the was. He developed a number of difficult flying maneuvers that advanced aerial combat techniques employed by fighter pilots. He is most known for leading the famous raid on Tokyo in early 1942 which, while inflicting little significant damage, bolstered American morale in those early months. He also led Air Corps commands in Europe during the assault on the Nazi's in Italy and France.The book is straight-forward and reveals little new information, but refreshes our knowledge of these heroes. What is fairly new (and not known at the time of Scott Berg's noted biography) is that Lindbergh fathered a number of children by several women in Europe. This has become known only within the last several years.

[schmerguls · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an excellent book and reads effortlessly. Since I read Doolittle's autobiography (I''ll Never Be So Lucky Again) on 29 Nov 2009, and Lindbergh's The Spirit of St. Louis on 18 Dec 2005 and Berg's biography of Lindbergh on 30 Mar 1999 and Atlantic Fever on Jue 26, 2012, the accounts re Doolittle and Lindbergh trod familiar ground for me, though both accounts are full of high drama. The account of Eddie Rickenbacker was all new to me and though I remembered hearing of his ordeal of 24 days in a raft in the Pacific after it happened in 1942 I had never read about it since and I found it excruciatingly dramatic and engrossing. The book presents Lindbergh in a better light than I feel he is entitled to, but he does deserve much credit for much he did during the time the U.S. was in the war. There is little eruditon in the book but it tells highly important things very well and it is unlikely anyone will be bored during any part of the reading of this great book,

[thewanderingjew_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book is long and sometimes tedious to listen to because it goes on and on and flips around from character to character and timeline to timeline. Chapters alternate with each character at first, but as the book develops, one or another characters is relegated to several. It felt like a greater portion of the book was devoted to Lindbergh, but that may simply be because of the writer’s method of presenting the information. Sometimes, a chapter which was devoted to one aviator, also included another. The book is chock full of information and detail, but it is also full of a lot of information that can easily be found with an internet search. It is, however, well written, and it is obviously well researched. There is a plethora of facts, sometimes too many to retain. I would have preferred the book to have three distinct parts, with each part devoted to a single “star”, rather than the way it was written with all of our war “heroes” jumbled up together. There was repetition which I believe would have been less disconcerting if the focus had been continuously focused on one of the men.Several times, over the years of these men’s lives, their paths intersected and their purposes paralleled each other. The war effort of both World Wars played a large part in the three men’s lives, although Lindbergh was younger and not involved as much with the events of WWI. He actually managed to make himself a persona non grata during part of WWII, with his loose lips. All three pilots were devoted family members and patriots. All three were interested in air travel from their youth. One or another may have been worldlier, more educated or more financially able, but all were driven by the promise of being free in the sky, becoming birds and taking flight, opening the skies to the general public and the fighting men of our armed forces. Each of the men figured prominently in airplane development and in the development of the airline industry as well as the automobile industry, and without them, our fighter planes would not have gained such a place of honor in history’s backward glance. Each was prominent in his own right, each made enormous contributions to society and each suffered life’s slings and arrows in one form or another.All of the men were born within a twelve year span, and they were instrumental in, and witnesses to, the rise of the American air industry and its growth throughout the world. Of the three, only Jimmy Doolittle lived to a really ripe old age, just three years shy of his 100th birthday. Rickenbacker and Lindbergh died within a year of each other though separated by a dozen years in age. Lindbergh died the youngest, at 72, with Rickenbacker dying at age 83. Still they lived beyond the average lifespan of their day, and throughout their own lives they were dedicated to their country and to improving the lifestyles and lives of their countrymen.