Friend of Eddie Martin Reminisces About Flier

I knew Eddie Martin and enjoyed (Joseph N. Bell’s April 5, 1990, column). It was sent to me by my cousin, who was a friend of Eddie’s wife, Sacha Hall, who was herself a pioneer aviatrix.

Years ago, when most light planes flew without radio, I used to fly into Orange County with my $300 PT-19. Eddie was still flying at that time, but I didn’t know him then. Sometime after the Korean War, I had occasion to write him a letter. I forget now what it was I needed to know, but it had to do with his early flying. Anyway, he called me up one night, got me out of bed and we talked for about an hour. That was the beginning of many late-night chats on the phone. I never did know why he preferred the wee hours for these talks. Insomnia, maybe.

You may be interested to know that Eddie’s Nieuport 28 is still extant, although I’m not just sure where it is at the present time. England, I think. Eddie sold it to Garland Lincoln, who had a motion picture flying business at Van Nuys in the late ‘20s. Lincoln sold it to Paul Mantz, who had it for a number of years but never flew it. Mantz also had a hybrid Nieup, which should not be confused with Eddie’s clipped-wing.

JOHN UNDERWOOD, Glendale