Don Dwiggins was an American journalist and author, specializing in aviation.^[1][2][3]

Dwiggins was born on November 13, 1918, in Plainfield, New Jersey. During World War II, he joined the United States Army Air Forces and worked as a flight instructor with the Royal Air Force.^[1] Beginning in the late 1940s, Dwiggins worked as a free-lance journalist and editor, working for a variety of Los Angeles-based publications. A prolific author, he wrote numerous articles for aviation magazines, and authored several dozen books, most of them focusing on aviation history.^[1] Between 1974 and 1982, he was a senior editor and columnist for Plane & Pilot magazine.^[3]

He was married to author Olga Arabsky, and had two children, Don Lindsay and Toni Kay.^[1] Dwiggins was killed in an automobile accident on December 10, 1988, along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California.^[2] He had just finished work on a four-volume history of American aviation.^[2]

Publications

During his career, Dwiggins authored over 40 books. This is a partial list.

Books

• — (1965). They flew the Bendix Race; the history of the competition for the Bendix Trophy. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott.

• — (1966). The air devils; the story of balloonists, barnstormers, and stunt pilots. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott.

• — (1967). Hollywood pilot : the biography of Paul Mantz. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

• — (1968). The barnstormers : flying daredevils of the roaring twenties. New York, NY: Grosset & Dunlap.

• — (1968). The SST : here it comes, ready or not : the story of the controversial supersonic transport. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

• — (1969). Famous flyers and the ships they flew. New York, NY: Grosset & Dunlap.

• — (1965). Bailout : the story of parachuting and skydiving. New York, NY: Crowell-Collier.

• — (1970). On silent wings : adventures in motorless flight. New York, NY: Grosset & Dunlap.

• — (1973). Riders of the winds : the story of ballooning. New York, NY: Hawthorn Books.

• — (1975). Build your own sport plane : with homebuilt aircraft directory. New York, NY: Hawthorn Books.

• — (1975). Restoration of antique & classic planes. New York, NY: Sports Car Press. ISBN 0871120739.

• — (1976). Aircraft metalwork. New York, NY: Sports Car Press. ISBN 0871120828.

• — (1979). Low-horsepower fun aircraft you can build. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: TAB Books. ISBN 0830697101.

• — (1979). Man-powered aircraft. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: TAB Books. ISBN 0830698515.

• — (1980). 31 practical ultralight aircraft you can build. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: TAB Books. ISBN 0830699376.

• — (1980). The complete book of airships : dirigibles, blimps & hot air balloons. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: TAB Books. ISBN 0830696962.

• — (1982). The complete book of cockpits. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: TAB Books. ISBN 0830623329.

• — (1982). Flying the frontiers of space. New York, NY: Dodd, Mead. ISBN 0396080413.

• — (1984). Welcome to flying : a primer for pilots. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: TAB Books. ISBN 0830623620.

• — (1985). Flying the space shuttles. New York, NY: Dodd, Mead. ISBN 0396085105.

• — (1987). Hello? Who's out there? : the search for extraterrestrial life. New York, NY: Dodd, Mead. ISBN 0396088422.