Pikeville in Pike County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

John Paul Riddle

1901-1989

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 21, 2017

1. John Paul Riddle Marker (side 1)

Inscription.
(side 1)
Aviation pioneer graduated from Pikeville College Academy in 1920. Flew plane under Pikesville’s Middle Bridge on July 4, 1923. Trained as a pilot in US Army, he & T. Higbee Embry founded the Embry-Riddle Flying School in Cincinnati, 1925. Incorporated four years later as part of AVCO, which later became American Airlines.
Over

(side 2)
Founded the Embry-Riddle School of Aviation in Miami, Fla. During WWII, trained pilots for U.S. and Britain. Later became Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ. Inducted into the Ky. Aviation Hall of Fame and Fla. Aviation Historical Society. Received British Empire award and honorary degrees from Pikeville College & E-R Aeronautical Univ.

Erected 2007 by Pikeville-Pike Co. Tourism Commission, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky Department of Highways. (Marker Number 2251.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Kentucky Historical Society series list.

Location. 37° 28.826′ N, 82° 31′ W. Marker is in Pikeville, Kentucky, in Pike County. Marker is at the intersection

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of Main Street and Pike Street, on the right when traveling north on Main Street. Marker is located near the sidewalk, adjacent to Main Street, beside the Main Street Church of Christ parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 198 Main Street, Pikeville KY 41501, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Pike Co. Courthouse and Jail (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); County Named, 1821 (about 500 feet away); Col. John Dils, Jr. (about 500 feet away); To the Memory of the Revolutionary Soldiers (about 500 feet away); “Spirit of the American Doughboy” (about 500 feet away); Effie Waller Smith (about 600 feet away); McCoy House (about 700 feet away); Dils Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pikeville.

Also see . . .
1. John Paul Riddle.
John Paul Riddle was born in 1901. He was only an infant when the Wright brothers made their historic flight, but his life would be changed forever by aviation, and he in turn would change the lives of others through flying. Riddle developed a fascination with flight from a young age. He graduated from Pikeville College in 1920 and soon started performing daredevil flight tricks for local viewers’ entertainment. Riddle soon took his flying skills to the US Army Air Corps, where he earned his flying wings. (Submitted on November 14, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

John Paul Riddle Marker (<i>side 2</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 21, 2017

2. John Paul Riddle Marker (side 2)

2. John Paul Riddle.
Formerly a barnstormer and flying instructor for stunt pilots, John Paul Riddle was a pioneer in aviation history taking the controls only 17 years after the Wright brothers’ first flight. His career in aviation had taken him from the Embry-Riddle Flying School in 1926, winning the first Federal air mail contracts, to globe-trotting with Howard Hughes and the Prince of Wales. In 1934 he opened a charter seaplane service in Miami and in WW2 operated three schools in Florida and one in Tennessee for US and UK pilots. (Submitted on November 14, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Daring young men in their flying trapezes. By the end of his long career, John Paul Riddle (1901-1989) had received the British Empire award and been inducted into the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame and the Florida Aviation Historical Society. But on July 4, 1923 the Pikeville, KY native and ex-Army airman was busy flying his Jenny under the town’s Middle Bridge and barnstorming his way across the countryside. (Submitted on November 14, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 21, 2017

3. John Paul Riddle Marker (side 1)

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 21, 2017

4. John Paul Riddle Marker (side 2)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 4, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 14, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 551 times since then and 65 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 14, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.