Len Morgan



A. G. Leonard Morgan (March 23, 1923 – March 11, 2005) was an American aviator and writer.

A Life Dedicated To Aviation
Morgan was born in Indiana and graduated high school in Kentucky in spring, 1941, whereupon he left for Canada to volunteer for the Royal Canadian Air Force. After the attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S.' entry into World War II, he transferred to the United States Army Air Forces in Egypt and flew in Africa and the Middle East. He attended college following the war and continued flying for the Kentucky National Guard, one of whose P-51 Mustangs he "borrowed" to go to a short-notice job interview with the young Braniff International Airways in Dallas in 1949. Morgan flew for Braniff for a 33 year career. He rose to the captaincy of every aircraft type the airline flew during that period, from the Douglas DC-3 to the Boeing 747.

Aviation Author
During and after his airline career, Morgan wrote over 30 books and hundreds of magazine articles on a wide variety of aviation subjects. His monthly column, "Vectors," was a prominent feature of Flying magazine for over 20 years. An accomplished storyteller, he wrote not only of airplanes but also shared gentle wisdom about the people and experiences he encountered over his flying career. Richard L. Collins, former editor of Flying magazine, eulogized, "[Morgan] was as eloquent as anything ever published in Flying. . . In his last "Vectors" column in 1999, Len closed with a reflection on his bond with the readers. 'So, good friends, it was good knowing all of you. Goodbye, wherever you are.'"

Family
Morgan married Margaret, in the early 1940s. They have two children: son Terry, and daughter Kathy. Len was the brother of David P. Morgan, editor of Trains magazine.

Len Morgan Quotes
"The way I see it, you can either work for a living or you can fly airplanes. Me, I'd rather fly."

"An airplane might disappoint any pilot, but it'll never surprise a good one."

"Watching the Dallas Cowboys perform, it is not difficult to believe that coach Tom Landry flew four-engine bombers during World War II. He was in B-17 Flying Fortresses out of England, they say. His cautious, conservative approach to every situation and the complexity of the plays he sends in do seem to reflect the philosophy of a pilot trained to doggedly press on according to plans laid down before takeoff. I sometimes wonder how the Cowboys would have fared all these years had Tom flown fighters in combat situations which dictated continually changing tactics."

"Margaret [is] the loving centerpiece of all that matters. Her love and encouragement for 60 years are the foundation of anything I have accomplished. I have been truly blessed."

"There are two kinds of men in this world: the selfish ones that just want to make a name for themselves, and the generous people that just want to make a difference."

"True, there was no teenager sport to equal tumbling about the glistening cumulus on a summer morning, rolling, looping, stalling, spinning (while supposedly practicing steep turns), then cruising back to our little grass field with its single hangar and neat rows of yellow biplane trainers. Check the windsock, follow the landing drill exactly and join the downwind leg at 800 feet, reduce speed and look for other planes, turn base, chop the power and descend to 400 feet. Then the slow glide down final with the engine muttering in idle to cross the fence and level off with whells skimming the wet clover. Finally, the moment of truth: bump...bump...and slowing to a walk. Taxi to the flight line, shut down, hear the ticking of the cooling engine and inhale the exotic aroma of gasoline and dope and leather --- aware of being truly blessed. You never forget such moments."