Jason Ryan, author

Our guest will be Jason Ryan, author of “Race to Hawaii”. Buy the book and read it before the meeting. You’ll thank him for writing it. Invite others you know who have an interest in early aviation, naval aviation, and flying daredevils. San Francisco and Oakland take center stage of Jason’s book as the launch point for pilots and crews who risked their lives attempting to fly non-stop from San Francisco/Oakland to Honolulu.

This book is more than just the 1927 race, it’s the first attempts to fly their non-stop over those early years of aviation that culminated in this life or death contest. A thrilling account, Race to Hawaii chronicles the first flights to Hawaii in the 1920s, during the Golden Age of Aviation. These journeys were fraught with danger. To reach the tiny islands, fearless pilots flew unreliable and fragile aircraft outfitted with primitive air navigation equipment. The Dole Derby was an unprecedented 1927 air race in which eight planes set off at once across the Pacific, all eager to reach the islands first and claim a cash prize offered by "Pineapple King" James Dole. Military men, barnstormers, a schoolteacher, a Wall Street bond salesman, a Hollywood stunt flyer and veteran World War aces all encountered every type of hazard during their perilous flights. With so many pilots taking aim at the far-flung islands in so many different types of planes, everyone wondered who would reach Hawaii first, or at all

But first . . .think of someone you know who revels in this topic . . .and invite them to be your guest. We'd love to have them join us for our monthly Commandery ZOOM Meeting. (Instructions will be sent to companions before the meeting).

** Gather an hour before our Commandery Meeting and chat in the ZOOM application in an unformatted, unmoderated manner. You can join us so we can see your face and engage in light conversation (or just listen, nod, and smile). So, from 11a to 12 noon our Chat room will in Happy Hour mode! **

Jason Ryan is the author of three books: "Jackpot: High Times, High Seas, and the Sting That Launched the War on Drugs"; "Hell-Bent: One Man's Crusade to Crush the Hawaiian Mob"; and "Race to Hawaii: The 1927 Dole Derby and the Thrilling First Flights That Opened the Pacific." He is a graduate of Georgetown University and lives in Charleston, South Carolina.