Embry-Riddle at War
Aviation Training during World War II
Stephen G. Craft
Foreword by Raymond Arsenault and Gary Mormino, Series EditorsPaper: $24.95
"Sheds important light on a neglected but critically important aspect of the greatest air war in history."--Tom D. Crouch, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
"A tale of patriotic duty fulfilled, corporate ambition stimulated, and business challenges in the turmoil of the postwar years."--Donald J. Mrozek, Kansas State University
Key to the training of military pilots in World War II was the Miami-based Embry-Riddle Company, which cornered the professional aviation training market during the war years and became the standard for training pilots as well as instructors, mechanics, and aircraft factory workers.
Embry Riddle at War examines the many components of aeronautical training, the evolution of a civilian company contributing to the war effort, the experiences and lives of those who participated in the school, and the crucial role Florida played in the war.
Stephen Craft mines archival sources and the rich treasure trove of personal memories from the men who fought the greatest air war in history. Interviews with those who graduated from Embry-Riddle bring the story to life with rich and telling detail.
Stephen G. Craft, associate professor of social science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, is the author of V. K. Wellington Koo and the Emergence of Modern China.
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"This social history proves valuable for those interested in how a civilian company provided thousands of trained pilots and technicians for the war."
--The Florida Historical Quarterly
“Effectively tells the story of a civilian company responsible for training foreign and domestic cadets, and their civilian relations within the larger context of World War II aviation history. . . . Argues that federal programs and the war formed Embry-Riddle into a premier wartime training enterprise.”
--The Florida Historical Quarterly
"Does a very credible job in chronicling the company during World War II and its effort to supply the personnel to 'Keep 'Em Flying.'"
--H-Net Reviews
"Readers interested in how the Army Air Force and the Navy developed the programs which provided the pilots needed to man the planes coming off American assembly lines during World War II will find much of interest in this book. Those interested in business finance and planning and in operating training programs should consider reading this book to learn what Embry-Riddle got right and what it did not. Readers wanting to understand the Army Air Force as a whole during World War II should definitely read it."
--The Journal of America's Military Past