![]() Eddie Rickenbacker Becomes America’s Top World War I Flying Ace Now, it was time to show his abilities in the field. Air Force Eddie Rickenbacker poses with his aircraft during the First World War.ĭuring training, Eddie Rickenbacker perfected maneuvers and flying techniques that allowed him to get as close to the enemy as possible before firing at them. Yet the determined young man would not let anyone or anything stop him. His squadmates looked down on Rickenbacker as a simpleton because they were all Ivy League graduates. “This is a part of the physical equipment of handling an airplane, and it makes a lot of difference.” Long practice in driving a racing car at 100 miles per hour gives first-class training in control and in judging distances at high speed, and helps tremendously in getting motor sense, which is rather the feel of rather than the sound of it,” he said. ![]() He earned a commission as a lieutenant and joined the 94th Aero Squadron in France.Īs Rickenbacker later recalled, he was determined to fly in the war, no matter what: His experience as a race car driver was crucial to his success. Despite his lack of a college degree, Rickenbacker finished his flight training in just 17 days. Army Air Service.Īfter just 5 1/2 hours of flying with an instructor, Rickenbacker flew solo. However, he quickly switched his sights to the fledgling U.S. Fighting In World War IĪfter America officially entered World War I in 1917, Eddie Rickenbacker immediately joined the army as a mechanic and automobile driver for Gen. Martin flew Rickenbacker in an airplane, and he was hooked. Then, in 1916, Rickenbacker had a chance meeting with aviation pioneer Glenn Martin. Air Force Eddie Rickenbacker as a race car driver.īy the time of World War I, he was one of American’s top race car drivers. In 1914 in Daytona, Florida, young Eddie entered a race and set a then-world record of an impressive 134 miles per hour. ![]() He soon established himself as a fearless young driver with multiple accidents and close calls. His love of cars led him into racing and in 1911 he came in at 13th place in the inaugural race of the now-famous Indianapolis 500. This seemed like a terrible way to start out in life, but Rickenbacker was determined.įascinated with cars, then a relatively new technology, Eddie Rickenbacker worked as a mechanic for a race car driver and later as a car salesman. Then, in 1904, when Eddie was 13 years old, his father William Rickenbacker suddenly died in a construction accident.Įddie was forced to drop out of school to become the breadwinner of the family. The family lived in poverty for most of Eddie’s younger years. He was the third-oldest of seven children in the Rickenbacker household. How did he achieve so much success? Eddie Rickenbacker’s Early LifeĮdward Rickenbacker was born on October 8, 1890, to Swiss immigrants in Columbus, Ohio. Yet, his life began with great obstacles that would have stopped most people. Eddie Rickenbacker in the cockpit of a biplane.
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