Loving's Love

Loving’s Love is the inspiring autobiography of Neal V. Loving, an aeronautical

engineer, experimental aircraft designer, and true aviation pioneer. Despite

racism that barred him from most aviation opportunities, as well as a near-fatal

flying accident that resulted in the loss of his legs, Loving remained optimistic,

ambitious, and resourceful. He triumphed over those who doubted and denied

him to become the first African American and first person with bilateral

amputation to be licensed as a racing pilot.

Loving designed and flew five aircraft throughout his lifetime, the first when he

was a young high school graduate. This book centers on his midget one-seater

racing plane, the WR-1 Loving’s Love that he flew from Detroit, Michigan, to

Kingston, Jamaica—an impressive feat for a plane of its kind.

Describing his early days as a fledgling designer and his years as the owner of a

flying school he opened to students of all races, Loving often refers to his personal

creed, “No success without enthusiasm.” At age forty he enrolled as a full-time

engineering student, going on to a long and distinguished career as an aerospace

research engineer. Loving’s Love is the story of a man who exemplified the abiding

love of flight that spurred the first barnstormers, and who left behind a

triumphant legacy.