Dick Merrill, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Dick Merrill

Aviator, Actor.

Date of Birth: 01-Feb-1894

Place of Birth: Iuka, Mississippi, United States

Date of Death: 31-Oct-1982

Profession: pilot in command

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Henry Tyndall "Dick" Merrill (February 1, 1894 – October 31, 1982) 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.