John A. Macready
| John Arthur Macready | |
|---|---|
John A. Macready
|
|
| Born |
October 14, 1887 San Diego, California |
| Died | September 15, 1979 (aged 91) |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army Air Forces
|
| Years of service | 1917–1926, 1942–1948 |
| Rank |
 Colonel
|
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
| Awards |
Distinguished Flying Cross Legion of Merit Mackay Trophy |
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, receiving the trophy three consecutive years. Macready won the MacKay Trophy three times: once for the altitude flight, once for the transcontinental flight, and once for an endurance flight of 36 hours, 4 minutes and 32 seconds.
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. He quickly rose to the position of flight instructor at the Army Pilot School at Brooks Field, Texas. While based at Brooks Field Lt. 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.
In 1918, Lt. Macready was assigned to McCook Field, the Army Signal Corps' new experimental test field in Dayton, Ohio. On 3 August 1921, Lt. Macready became the first person to test fly an experimental aerial application system for spraying pesticides from an aircraft, flying the world's first "crop duster".
In 1921, he set an altitude record of 34,509 feet for which he was awarded the first of three consecutive Mackay trophies. On 28 September 1921 he had climbed to 34,508 feet in an experimental Le Pere biplane designed and modified at McCook Field and souped up with an engine turbo-supercharger.
October 5, 1922, Lts. J.A. Macready and O.G. Kelly set a world endurance record of 35 hours, 18 minutes and 30 seconds.
On 2–3 May 1923, with Lieutenant Oakley George Kelly, he made the first non-stop coast-to-coast flight, from Roosevelt Field, formerly Mitchell Field, 2.3 miles south-east of Mineola, Long Island, New York to Rockwell Field, North Island, San Diego, California, with a total flight time of 26 hours, 50 minutes and 48 seconds. En route, he made the first in-flight aircraft engine repair in Air Service history, replacing a defective voltage regulator switch while the single engine, high wing Fokker T-2 Liberty mono-plane churned westward. The flight also set a new distance record for a single cross-country flight, 2,625 miles.
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