Brave, Splendid Fools: A Life in Aviation

There is nothing quite like the stories of those who were present at the creation of aviation, who knew aviation in its rag-wing infancy, and whose careers progressed along with the march of technology-- flying faster, higher and more precisely with a particularly interesting foundation of knowledge. One of these exceptional people was Captain William L. Bacheler who, as a boy of eight years old, strained to catch a glimpse of his hero, Charles Lindbergh during a Seattle parade. From that moment on, he looked to the skies as his passion and ambition in life. His dream was realized when “Batch” graduated from college, was commissioned in the Marines and received his wings…but there were always new dreams and new passions. Bacheler writes through the prism of his final flight pattern in 1979 as Captain of Pan American 747 Clipper Morning Light after 42 years in the air. He intersperses chapters of an aviator's life that capture not just aviation's technological march, but also what it takes to be a leader, to exercise responsibility and discipline, to believe in yourself, your equipment and your comrades, but also, to know the pain of loss when accidents happen. “Batch” takes the reader from his first flights as a student in open air Stearman trainers to his days as Executive Officer of Marine Fighter Squadron VMF-115 in the South Pacific during WWII flying his favorite hotrod, the F4U Fighter Corsair. The reader follows as Bacheler led his squadron through missions in Bougainville, Kavieng, Espiritu Santo, Rabaul and Emireau Island. Although these were tough, war torn years, Bacheler’s vision came full circle when he led his squadron into battle formation and surprisingly, an unknown pilot joined as ‘tail-end Charlie’…it was Charles A. Lindbergh.. With the end of WWII, Bacheler was hired by Pan American World Airways as a pilot and navigator, beginning with the DC-3, the Boeing Stratocruiser, the 707 and on to the pinnacle of his career, the Captains seat on the mighty Boeing 747. The reader feels his story unfold as he marches through not only his pilots life with Pan Am, but through the 18 years he spent in his dual career in the Marine Air Reserves where he continued to fly aerobatics and stay sharp for any aircraft he would be offered in his future. He recounts with pin-point detail as he went on to pioneer navigation of the polar route from the west coast of America to Europe as well as the years served as Pilot-in-Charge, Navigation for Pan Am in the Pacific. Always with an eye on the advancement of aviation, he leads us through his experiences as Air Safety Chairman for Pan American, his contributions toward the free gyro fuel system and implementation of the FMS (Flight Management System). Brave, Splendid Fools is an aviation memoir like no other. Bacheler’s images are precise, having kept every log book for his entire life in the air which amounted to 150 trips around the world, more than 250 trips across the Arctic and over 22,000 flying hours. His memoir proves to be a unique autobiographical view of the history of aviation, invention and experience that led us to our current way of life as passengers, travelers and adventurers in the air today…