Ernest K. Gann

Ernest Kellogg Gann (October 13, 1910 – December 19, 1991) was an American aviator, author, sailor, and conservationist. He is best known for his novels and memoirs about early aviation and nautical adventures. Some of his more famous aviation novels include The High and the Mighty and Island in the Sky, both of which were turned into Hollywood movies starring John Wayne. Gann's classic memoir of early commercial aviation, Fate Is the Hunter, is still in print today and considered by many as one of the greatest aviation books ever written. Some of Gann's nautical-themed novels include Fiddler's Green and Soldier of Fortune, which were also turned into major motion pictures.

Early life

Gann was born October 13, 1910, in Lincoln, Nebraska, to George Kellogg Gann (1884–1958) and Caroline May Kupper (1890–1945). George was a telephone-company executive in Lincoln, Nebraska; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Chicago, Illinois.

Rebelling against his father's strong desire that he seek a career with the telephone business, Ernest pursued several other interests as he matured. He was fascinated by topics including photography, movie-making, and aviation. As a young man, he showed little interest in school and performed poorly. His parents decided that he needed discipline and that he should attend a military school. He was sent to the Culver Military Academy for his high school years. While working on the documentary Inside Nazi Germany in 1936, Gann fled back to America as Hitler's troops marched into the Rhineland. rekindled his interest in aviation. He flew Douglas DC-3s, Douglas C-47s, Douglas C-54s and Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express transports for the Air Transport Command. Gann was based at Gander, Newfoundland; Goose Bay, Labrador; and Presque Isle, Maine, flying the North Atlantic to Europe with stops at Narsarsuaq Air Base in Greenland and Reykjavík, Iceland.

At the end of World War II, the Air Transport Command released the civilian pilots and aircraft to their airlines. American Airlines was assigned its pre-war routes, which were domestic routes only. The number-one senior pilot at American Airlines, E.L. "Slonnie" Sloniger, quit American Airlines and became the Chief Pilot at Matson Airlines, a new venture of the Matson Steamship Line. which flew unscheduled charter flights throughout the Pacific. Transocean used the same hangars at the Oakland airport that Matson used and flew the same kind of aircraft (DC-4). However, it was in financial difficulties and from time to time, Gann found himself furloughed. By the time of the filming of The High and Mighty, Gann regarded himself an alumnus of the firm. Gann spent time in Samoa flying the line and teaching the pilots to fly the DC-3. However, the heat of the tropics and homesickness got to him, and his last airline experience came to an end.

In a bid to help his son and keep the grandkids nearby, he bought Gann a cottage a mile down the road in Pebble Beach. This cottage is where Gann's writing really took off, finishing the High and the Mighty, Fiddler's Green, Soldier of Fortune and working the associated movie deals. As Gann's fortunes grew, Eleanor's health began to fade. His marriage began to suffer and Eleanor eventually decided to divorce Gann. She was afflicted with numerous health problems, including severe rheumatoid arthritis, and following several years of declining health, she died on December 23, 1966, at Pebble Beach. Gann would endure several more tragedies in his personal life, including the death of his eldest son, George Kellogg Gann, who was swept overboard in a storm while working on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Alaska in 1973. Albatros had been a pilot boat in the North Sea, a radio station ship for the Germans in World War II, and finally as a Dutch cadet training vessel.

As his family life deteriorated, Gann began spending time with a friend, Dodie Post, whom he later married. Both before and after they were married they were partners in adventure, travel, and later, environmental causes. In 1966 they purchased Red Mill Farm, an ranch on San Juan Island in the state of Washington. This was the beginning of his next great passion, environmental conservation. For that purpose, they later donated the entirety of their ranch to the San Juan Preservation Trust after Post's death.

Literary career

Gann described his writing methods as torturous; he would often literally chain himself to his desk until he finished a certain amount of text. He suffered long periods of writer's block, and frequently worried that he would run out of ideas. Despite his successful career, he continued to have strong feelings of self-doubt and often expressed surprise at the critical praise he received.

Gann's major works include the novel The High and the Mighty and his aviation memoir Fate Is the Hunter (regarded by many as one of the best-ever books about aviation). (He later lamented that this decision cost him a "fortune" in royalties, as the movie played repeatedly on television for years afterward.) He wrote the story for the television miniseries Masada, based on The Antagonists, and the story for the 1980 Walt Disney movie, The Last Flight of Noah's Ark.

Painting

Gann had a chicken coop on his Red Mill farm converted into an artist studio and writing office. He painted nautical scenes and aviation related paintings. Some of the dust jackets on his novels feature his original art work. Gann considered painting as his "second career" and hoped to inspire other senior citizens to continue the pursuit of their interests.

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) moved Gann's entire chicken coop studio, including the barber's chair Gann used at his desk, to the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where it is on public display.

Gann was a member or honorary member of the Society of Flight Test Engineers, Order of Daedalians, Black Birds, OX-5 Aviation Pioneers, Secret Order of Quiet Birdmen, Colgate President's Club, Washington Athletic Club, Grey Eagles Club, 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Retired Eastern Pilots Association, and American Fighter Pilots Association.

Washington Governor Gary Locke posthumously awarded the Medal of Merit (the state's highest honor) to Gann on July 9, 2003. A cafe at Friday Harbor Airport is named "Ernie's Cafe" in his honor.

Flying magazine ranked Gann thirty-fourth in its 2013 list of the 51 heroes of aviation.