"Gentleman of Adventure": Ernest J. Gann, Aviation, and American Culture

This paper examines the life and writings of pilot and author Ernest J. Gann, a significant yet often overlooked figure in the history of American aviation. Gann’s writings provide a unique perspective on the development of American aviation, and his literature serves as a valuable example of how aviation helped shape American identity during the first half of the twentieth century. Gann flew as a barnstormer, served as a commercial pilot at the dawn of commercial air transport, and flew for the military as part of the Army Air Corps Air Transport Command during World War II. His writings encompass both fiction and non-fiction, and his publications include five novels—several of which later appeared as prominent Hollywood films—four non-fiction books, and numerous articles in periodicals like Flying, Popular Mechanics, Colliers, The Saturday Review of Literature, and Readers Digest. A 1981 article profiling the author in the New York Times lamented the fact that Gann’s works were far better known that he himself was, highlighting the significant, yet under acknowledged, place that Gann occupies in the history of American aviation and culture.

Gann’s significance as a pilot and author flows from his unique ability to provide insight into aviation’s development during a pivotal period in its history. His life and writings highlight enduring connections between civil aviation and America’s economic, technological, political, and social maturation during the 20^th century. In many ways Gann represents the personification of the American fascination with aviation, and his unique literary perspective only enhances the historical significance of his contributions to American popular culture. This paper will use Gann’s writings to explore the growth of American aviation during its so-called “golden age” while demonstrating how that development profoundly shaped America’s path in the 20^th century.