E.M. “Matty� Laird was an American success story – born to a working class Chicago family, he turned his innate mechanical abilities and fascination with flight into a career that put him at the top of aviation’s pioneers. As early as 1915, he was flying a home-made biplane in exhibitions; and in 1919 he set up shop in Wichita, building the Laird Swallow, America’s first commercial aircraft. After moving to Chicago, he designed and manufactured the LC-R Speedwing series of planes. Laird’s planes were high-quality machines, and they were known for their speed. In 1930 and 1931, he built the Solution and Super Solution race planes, flown by Charles “Speed� Holman and Jimmy Doolittle, respectively. Solution won the Thompson Trophy in 1930, and Super Solution won the first Bendix cross-country race in a record-setting time of less than 12 hours. In this profusely illustrated book, Ed Phillips covers Laird’s career, the E.M. Laird Aircraft Co., and the record-setting planes that he built. It’s a fascinating look at the early days of commercial aviation and air racing in the United States.