Just a few days ago I finished the biography of a (unfortunately) relatively unknown aviation legend named E.M. “Matty” Laird. Authored by his daughter, Joan Laird Post, the book explores areas mostly unknown in Matty’s life such as insight into how he named his famous airplanes and the context for his business adventures. Joan Laird Post did a fabulous job covering all aspects of Matty’s illustrious life and career and I found myself feeling as if I knew Matty personally as the story read on, even becoming a bit emotional when I closed the book after finishing the last page. Matty Laird’s legacy lives on through the numerous modern aircraft manufacturers of today and through a few replica aircraft of his construction on display at certain museums, namely the rare Baby Biplane at the Sun N’ Fun museum in Lakeland, Florida.
Not much is found on this book regarding a synopsis of sorts, apart from basic seller descriptions and purchase reviews that are no more than a few sentences. Given this lack of detail, I didn’t quite know what to expect when the book arrived in the mail and I cracked open the cover for the first time and began reading. I was immediately and pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable it was to read and knew it was going to be a staple piece in the Early Days Biplanes library. Joan Laird Post did a wonderful job explaining Matty Laird’s significance to aviation to both a layman who knows not much about airplanes and the expert aviation historian.
After a beautiful preface by the author and a foreword by EAA founder Paul Poberezny, the book begins with a lovely two-paged chapter titled “One Final Dream” about Joan Laird Post’s participation in the unveiling of the Laird Baby Biplane at the Sun N’ Fun museum in Lakeland, Florida. This chapter lays a foundation for the reader to build upon while reading the rest of the book due to the author’s wonderful job explaining the importance of the Baby Biplane, the event itself, and how emotional it was for everyone involved. The story of Matty’s life then begins, starting with his youth experiences in Chicago and how his interest in aviation developed after watching a Wright Flyer fly outside the bank where he worked. An interesting fact I didn’t know about Matty Laird is that his education never surpassed the 8th grade level! His career as a pilot and aircraft designer was already remarkable but that is quite the feat itself.
With the perfect amount of detail over twenty expertly written chapters, the story of the rest of his life is written and offers excellent insight into his barnstorming days, the relationships he developed along the way (with names such as Buck Weaver, Speed Holman, Katherine Stinson, Eddie Stinson, Majorie Stinson, Jimmy Doolittle, Billy Burke, Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech, Lloyd Stearman), the designing of his famous ships, the onset of air mail, his hesitation with participating in air racing, the business adventures and traveling as his designs became more popular amongst pilots, and even how his machines formed the foundation of American commercial aviation. As can be read in this book, the Laird Swallow was a three-place biplane that was generally regarded as the aircraft that built America’s commercial aviation industry, but ask any given airline pilot if they knew that fact and the overwhelming majority would sadly admit to ignorance.
It is my opinion that this book will not only correct that issue if in the library of just a few airline pilots, but should be in the library of every person that is passionate about aviation and its history. The story of the shy, motivated, keen Matty Laird and his contribution to aviation raises the question of where American aviation would be today if it weren’t for his extensive efforts to design elegant and purposeful flying machines for the country. Behind some of the most famous aircraft and airlines of today is a man of significance mostly unknown by the flying public today, but should be remembered by all who venture in the blue infinity for either recreation or travel. Joan Post Laird does a fabulous and engaging job telling the story of her father and ensuring all who choose to read Shoestrings to the Stars understand the importance of her father’s existence. I cannot recommend this piece of literature enough and will suggest that it makes a home in the library of anyone even slightly interested in aviation history or considering reading this piece.
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