David Lee Russell

The history of Eastern Air Lines is one of innovation and enterprise as well as one of how bad decisions are hard to overcome, especially when compounded. In relating the history of one of the major commercial airlines of the last century, David Lee Russell also told the history of commercial aviation in the United States up until early 1991 which until deregulation during the Carter Administration was entirely different than it is today. Eastern's history is not only that of a company, but show more also of individuals. Russell writes brief, yet informative biographies of Harold Pitcairn, Edward "Captain Eddie" Rickenbacker, and Frank Borman who led the company throughout it's history as well as other figures who contributed to Eastern's successes or failures. While Russell does a tremendous job in describing how Eastern rose to the heights of its success, the strongest part of his writing is in describing how Eastern died and summarized the reasons at the end of the book. show less

Russell has created a really remarkable history of Eastern Air Lines - an airline that many people today don't know much (if anything) about, but which played a significant role in the birth and early decades of flight in America. This is clearly a labor of love for the author - it's remarkably detailed and well sourced, and written in a compelling and engaging manner. Recommended for anyone who is interested in airlines or the history of American industry.

I've known several former Eastern Air Lines employees who, after all these years, still sigh and reminisce about it fondly. Eastern allowed them to travel the world and they never got over their wonderful experiences and their grief over Eastern's demise. This is a well researched history of the airline that grew up with air travel in America, including all the bumps and turbulence along the way. Eastern Air Lines: A History will appeal to anyone with a love for aviation, its history and the show more business of air travel. show less

Fascinating book! I was kind of vaguely aware of Eddie Rickenbacker but knew nothing about him beyond that he was an ace in WWI. I'm a native Ohioan but didn't realize that he was also and that he was also a race car driver. Beyond being an interesting history of the airline, the information about Rickenbacker made this book a great read. The details about the bankruptcy of the airline and the reasons for it were quite interesting. I very much enjoyed this book and learning more about a show more airline that I never flew but was a familiar name throughout my childhood. show less