author
E. N. (Elisha Noel) Fales
1887–1970
An early aviation writer and engineer, this author turned the fast-moving lessons of World War I flight training into a practical guide for new pilots. His work captures a moment when flying was still new, risky, and rapidly changing.
1 Audiobook
Learning to fly in the U.S. Army : a manual of aviation practice
by E. N. (Elisha Noel) Fales
About the author
Born in 1887, Elisha Noel Fales was part of the first generation to help shape American aviation. He is best known as the author of Learning to Fly in the U.S. Army (1917), a clear, practical manual written to help student aviators grasp the basics of military flight during a time when the field was developing at remarkable speed.
Beyond his writing, Fales was deeply involved in aeronautical engineering. Contemporary aviation histories credit him with work on Army ground schools during 1917 and with designing the Langley wind tunnel, later continuing with wind-tunnel and propeller research in the 1920s and 1930s. That background helps explain why his book feels grounded in real technical experience rather than abstract theory.
Fales died in 1970. Today, his name survives mainly through his aviation manual and technical work, both of which offer a vivid window into the experimental, hands-on world of early flight.