Dick Merrill

Pilot, Film actor

1894 – 1982

34

Who was Dick Merrill?

Henry Tyndall "Dick" Merrill was an early aviation pioneer. Among his feats he was the highest paid air mail pilot, flew the first round-trip transatlantic flight in 1936, was Dwight D. Eisenhower's personal pilot during the 1952 presidential elections, set several speed records, and would go on to be Eastern Air Lines' most experienced pilot with over 36,000 hours until his retirement in 1961. In total, Merrill flew over 45,000 hours as pilot in command, covering over eight million miles.

At a time when record-breaking pilots were treated as celebrities, pioneer aviators like Dick Merrill gained a unique status. His most famous flight was a 1936 round-trip transatlantic flight that has gone down in the annals of flight as the "Ping Pong Flight." The following year, Merrill also completed the first commercial trans-Atlantic flight.

We need you!

Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!

Born
Feb 1, 1894
Iuka
Also known as
  • Henry Tindall Merrill
  • Henry Tyndall "Dick" Merrill
  • Henry Tyndall
  • "Dick" Merrill
Spouses
Children
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession
Lived in
  • Mississippi
Died
Oct 31, 1982
Lake Elsinore, California

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Dick Merrill." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/dick_merrill>.

Discuss this Dick Merrill biography with the community:

0 Comments

    Browse Biographies.net