Eddie August Schneider
Eddie August Schneider | |
|---|---|
Schneider on September 10, 1930, in Detroit, Michigan, for the National Air Races | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Eddie August Henry Schneider October 20, 1911 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | December 23, 1940 (aged 29) New York City, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Mid-air collision |
| Resting place | Fairview Cemetery |
| Spouse |
Gretchen Hahnen (m. 1934) |
| Parent(s) | Emil August Schneider (1886–1955) Inga Karoline Pedersen (1882–1927) |
| Education | William L. Dickinson High School |
| Occupation | Aviator |
| Known for | |
| Signature | |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Spanish Republic |
| Branch | Yankee Squadron |
| Years of service | 1935–1936 |
| Rank | Aviator |
| Battles / wars | Spanish Civil War |
Eddie August Henry Schneider (October 20, 1911 – December 23, 1940) was an American aviator who set three transcontinental airspeed records for pilots under the age of twenty-one in 1930. His plane was a Cessna Model AW with a Warner-Scarab engine, one of only 48 built, that he called "The Kangaroo". He set the east-to-west, then the west-to-east, and the combined round trip record. He was the youngest certificated pilot in the United States, and the youngest certified airplane mechanic. He was a pilot in the Spanish Civil War in the Yankee Squadron. He died in an airplane crash in 1940, while training another pilot, when a Boeing-Stearman Model 75 belonging to the United States Navy Reserve overtook him and clipped his plane's tail at Floyd Bennett Field.