Forgotten Eagle: Wiley Post, America's Heroic Aviation Pioneer

Wiley Post set aviation records. In the summer of 1931 he flew his single-engine airplane around the globe in a record-breaking 8 days. Two years later he shaved 21 hours off his own record. The country went wild; in Wiley Post a nation in the grip of the Great Depression found a hero. History, though, has not been kind to Post, especially since his ill-designed floatplane crashed in Alaska and killed Post & the much beloved American humorist Will Rogers. Unlike his contemporaries, Post has virtually disappeared from the popular lore that grew out of America aviation in the earlier decades of the 20th century. This story of a genuine American hero uncovers little-known details that illuminate the enigmatic Wiley Post's life. B&W photos.