Author Talk | General Aviation in Flight with Donald Pattillo

Name: Author Talk | General Aviation in Flight with Donald Pattillo
Start: 2025-11-12T11:00:00-05:00
Location: 175 Bourne Ave, Pooler, GA, United States, Georgia 31322

Schedule

Wed, 12 Nov, 2025 at 11:00 am

UTC-05:00

Location

175 Bourne Ave, Pooler, GA, United States, Georgia 31322 | Pooler, GA

The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force's monthly Author Talk series is proud to present author Donald Pattillo, who will be discussing his book Romance in Flight. This program will take place on November 12th at 11:00 am at the museum.
The program is free to the public, but please register at https://forms.gle/aFTNnTpCpJgD3zqv5
Optional Lunch: Join us for an optional lunch afterwards. $10/12 cash/credit for members or $15/17cash/credit for non-members.
About the Book
Donald Pattillo, an accomplished aviation historian, makes his historical fiction debut with the story of a young female journalist, Ellen Hobson. She begins as a newspaper reporter, a field usually not open to women, in her home city of Pittsburgh in 1904. Soon, becoming restless at being limited to covering local news, Ellen gains the opportunity to travel to Dayton, Ohio, in Spring 1905, to report on the brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright, who claim to have developed a powered flying machine. She meets the rather reserved brothers and is permitted to witness their flying experiments at Huffman Prairie, a field outside Dayton. Although initially skeptical, Ellen comes to believe in the Wright brothers’ work and publishes well-received articles about them and their flyer. She continues her reports over the next four years as the brothers pursue recognition and success, leading them to Washington, Kitty Hawk, and then to Europe. Their path is far from smooth however, as they deal with political difficulties as well as legal challenges to their invention. Ellen’s involvement with the Wright brothers changes her life in a way she would never have anticipated, including professional recognition, travel, and, unexpectedly, love. Prepare for this compelling story of self-discovery, romance, hope, and ultimately, heartbreak, at the dawn of aviation. Donald Pattillo’s novel, A Romance of Flight artfully combines credible fictional characters with a detailed factual portrait of the Wright brothers, their family, and their legacy as inventors of the flying machine.
About the Author
The industry known as "general aviation"--encompassing all flying outside of the military and commercial airlines--dates from the early days of powered flight. As technology advanced, making possible smaller aircraft that could be owned and operated by civilians, manufacturers emerged to a serve a growing market.
Increasingly this meant business flying, as companies used aircraft in a variety of roles. The industry struggled during the Great Depression but development continued; small aircraft manufacturers became vital to the massive military production effort during World War II.
After the war, rapid technological advancement and a robust, prosperous middle class were expected to result in a democratized civil aviation industry. For many reasons this was never realized, even as general aviation roles and aircraft capabilities expanded. Despite its many reverses and struggles, entrepreneurship has remained the driving factor of the industry.