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Has anyone read ” Rickenbacker, An Autobiography “?He was a most remarkable man. He went from a poor background and working as a child to owner of the Indianapolis Speedway, president of an automobile company(which went broke) to President of Eastern Airlines.He predicted WW2, a war in the MidEast and one which has not happened yet between the races in the USA. Hope he was wrong on that last one.
I aasume you mean Eddie? Yea he was quite a figure for some time. An ace in WW1 and then ended up making head lines when he was shot down over the pacific and survived to tell the tale.
I think he survived for 17 days in a raft in the Pacific. I believe that they ran out of fuel after a navigation error. His Rickenbacker Auto was too far ahead of it's time. The public would not accept a vehicle with 4 wheel brakes. They thought brakes on the front wheels were dangerous.
I think he survived for 17 days in a raft in the Pacific. I believe that they ran out of fuel after a navigation error. His Rickenbacker Auto was too far ahead of it's time. The public would not accept a vehicle with 4 wheel brakes. They thought brakes on the front wheels were dangerous.
Ok ok, I don't know enough about cars (obviously) but it seems rather intuitive that a basic car setup would suggest that brakes on the front of a car would be dangerous in that the rear end could elevate more easily (or shift) if the brakes were slammed on.
On most vehicles now the majority of the brakes is in the front, what a turn around in technological progression.
One of favorite story's of Eddie Rickenbacker was told by Charles H. Mcdonald a WWII fighter ace in the pacific theater. Rickenbacker was touring his base for some reason I have forgotten and McDonald asked him to join them on a fighter sweep. He accepted the offer and went up with them but kept falling behind. McDonald went back to check on him and discovered the reason, at which point he got on the radio and said hey rookie raise your landing gear
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