John A. Macready
John Arthur Macready (October 14, 1887 – September 15, 1979) was an American test pilot and aviator. He was the only three-time recipient of the Mackay Trophy, and awarded in three consecutive years: once for altitude flight, once for transcontinental flight, and once for an endurance flight of 36 hours, 4 minutes and 32 seconds. History Born in San Diego, California, Macready received a bachelor's degree in economics from Stanford University in 1912. He enlisted in the Army in 1917, earning his pilot's wings at Rockwell Field, in San Diego. In 1923, Macready graduated from the Air Service Engineering School located at McCook Field in Dayton, Ohio. He quickly rose to the position of flight instructor at the Army Pilot School at Brooks Field, Texas. While based at Brooks Field, Lieutenant Macready wrote a basic flight manual for student pilots, The All Thru System of Flying Instructions. The book became the U.S. military's basic flight manual during the early years of aviation. McCook Field In 1918, Lieuteant Macready was assigned to McCook Field, the Army Signal Corps' new experimental test field in Dayton, Ohio. On 3 August 1921, Lieutenant Macready became the first person to test fly an experimental aerial