Richard Virgil Grace (October 1, 1898 – June 25, 1965), known as Dick Grace, was an American stunt

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

who specialized in crashing planes for

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

s. Films that he appeared in include ''

Sky Bride ''Sky Bride'' (also known as ''Sky Brides'') is a 78-minute 1932 drama film, produced by Paramount Pictures and directed by Stephen Roberts. The film stars Richard Arlen, Jack Oakie and Virginia Bruce. ''Sky Bride'' depicts the life of barnsto ...

'', ''

The Lost Squadron ''The Lost Squadron'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama, action, film starring Richard Dix, Mary Astor, and Robert Armstrong, with Erich von Stroheim and Joel McCrea in supporting roles, and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on the nove'' ...

'', '' Lilac Time'', and ''

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

''. He served in both

world war A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

s, bombing

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, as a B-17 Flying Fortress co-pilot with the

486th Bombardment Group 486th may refer to: * 486th Air Expeditionary Wing, provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command * 486th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit * 486th Fighter Squadron, inactive United States Air ...

. After the Second World War, he operated a charter business in South America. He was married to Crystine Francis Malstrom, a stage actress who appeared in ''Abie's Irish Rose''. He was the author of several books, including ''Squadron of Death'', ''Crash Pilot'', ''I am still alive,'' and ''Visibility Unlimited''. Grace was one of the few stunt pilots who died of old age.Lussier, Tim (2004
"Daredevils in the Air - Three of the Greats - Wilson, Locklear and Grace"
, Silents Are Golden

Stunt work on films

*'' The Flying Fool'' (1925) *''

'' (1927) *'' Lilac Time'' (1928) *''

Young Eagles The Young Eagles is a program created by the US Experimental Aircraft Association designed to give children between the ages of 8 to 17 an opportunity to experience flight in a general aviation airplane while educating them about aviation. The pr ...

'' (1930) *''

'' (1932) * ''

Devil's Squadron ''Devil's Squadron'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Richard Dix, Karen Morley and Lloyd Nolan. The following written prologue appears after the opening credits: "This picture is dedicated to the test pilots ...

'' (1936)

References

External links

*
Article by Dick Grace from ''Modern Mechanics Magazine''
1898 births 1965 deaths United States Army Air Service pilots of World War I American stunt performers Stunt pilots United States Army Air Forces officers United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II {{aviation-bio-stub