Henry Tyndall "Dick" Merrill was a world-famous pilot by the 1930s, known for his numerous aviation achievements. Born in the United States, Merrill began learning to fly during World War I while stationed in France. After the war, he returned home and worked on the Illinois Central Railroad as a fireman before buying a Curtiss JN4 "Jenny" at a war surplus sale in 1920.
Merrill spent the 1920s barnstorming at air shows and eventually became an air mail service pilot, earning $13,000 in 1930. He signed on with Eastern Airlines in 1934, becoming its highest-paid pilot, and was heavily promoted as its star pilot. Merrill's calm and deliberate flying skills were evident during a 1948 flight when the prop on an EAL Constellation tore through the fuselage at 10,000 feet, killing a steward instantly. He was credited with saving the lives of 69 people on board.
Merrill married vivacious actress Toby Wing in 1938, and the couple enjoyed a remarkable 44-year marriage. He flew the China-Burma "Hump" during World War II, conducting critical supply flights and surveillance missions. After the war, he returned to Eastern Airlines and officially retired in 1961, with the most air miles of any pilot in commercial aviation history.
Merrill continued to fly into his 80s, setting a speed record at age 78 and delivering a Lockheed L-1011 Tri-Star from California to Miami at an average 710 MPH groundspeed. He also flew an SST Concorde. Virtually no civilian pilot in the history of aviation piloted such a vast range of aircraft. After Merrill's death in 1982, his wife Toby spent the remainder of her life actively promoting his rightful place in the annals of aviation history.
Jack Lambie, a 27-year-old co-pilot, accompanied Merrill on the first commercial trans-Atlantic flight in history, flying a Lockheed Model 10E Electra.
