Len Morgan

A. G. Leonard Morgan (March 23, 1923 – March 11, 2005) was an American aviator and writer.

History

Morgan was born in Indiana and graduated high school in Kentucky in spring, 1941, whereupon he left for Canada to volunteer for the Royal Canadian Air Force. After the attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S.' entry into World War II, he transferred to the United States Army Air Forces in Egypt and flew in Africa and the Middle East. He attended college following the war and continued flying for the Kentucky National Guard, one of whose P-51 Mustangs he "borrowed" to go to a short-notice job interview with the young Braniff International Airways in Dallas in 1949. Morgan flew for Braniff for a 33 year career. He rose to the captaincy of every aircraft type the airline flew during that period, from the Douglas DC-3 to the Boeing 747 [From 1979 until shortly before the 1982 bankruptcy, Braniff pilots operated British Airways and Air France Concordes on cooperative "spur" flights between Dallas and Washington, DC. The planes, owned by BA/AF and in their respective liveries, then took on BA/AF crews and continued on to London and Paris, respectively. Capt. Morgan did not participate in this operation.] .

During and after his airline career, Morgan wrote over 30 books and hundreds of magazine articles on a wide variety of aviation subjects. His monthly column, "Vectors," was a prominent feature of "Flying" magazine for over 20 years. An accomplished storyteller, he wrote not only of airplanes but also shared gentle wisdom about the people and experiences he encountered over his flying career. Richard L. Collins, former editor of "Flying" magazine, eulogized, " [Morgan] was as eloquent as anything ever published in "Flying". . . In his last "Vectors" column in 1999, Len closed with a reflection on his bond with the readers. 'So, good friends, it was good knowing all of you. Goodbye, wherever you are.'" [http://www.flyingmag.com/article.asp?section_id=11&article_id=559&page_number=1]

Personal life

Morgan married Margaret, in the early 1940s. They have two children: son Terry, and daughter Kathy.

Len was the brother of David P. Morgan, editor of "Trains" magazine.

Quotations

"The way I see it, you can either work for a living or you can fly airplanes. Me, I'd rather fly."

"An airplane might disappoint any pilot, but it'll never surprise a good one."

"Watching the Dallas Cowboys perform, it is not difficult to believe that coach Tom Landry flew four-engine bombers during World War II. He was in B-17 Flying Fortresses out of England, they say. His cautious, conservative approach to every situation and the complexity of the plays he sends in do seem to reflect the philosophy of a pilot trained to doggedly press on according to plans laid down before takeoff. I sometimes wonder how the Cowboys would have fared all these years had Tom flown fighters in combat situations which dictated continualy changing tactics."

"Margaret [is] the loving centerpiece of all that matters. Her love and encouragement for 60 years are the foundation of anything I have accomplished. I have been truly blessed."

"There are two kinds of men in this world: the selfish ones that just want to make a name for themselves, and the generous people that just want to make a difference."

External links

* [http://www.flyingmag.com/article.asp?section_id=11&article_id=559&page_number=1 "Richard Collins bids Len Morgan farewell", "Flying", June 2005]

References