Robert J. Moriarty (born September 9, 1946) is an American Marine F-4B fighter pilot who holds the record as the youngest naval aviator (at age 20) in the

Vietnam war The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

, achieving the rank of captain in the Marines at age 22. Before leaving military service in 1970, he recorded 824 combat missions.Robert J. Moriarty
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Cambridge House Cambridge House is a Grade I listed former townhouse in central London, England. It sits on the northern side of Piccadilly at number 94, in the fashionable district of Mayfair. , the property is being converted into a luxury hotel and seven r ...

'' He holds 14 international aviation records including the record for flight time between New York to Paris in two different categories.List of records established by Robert J. Moriarty
, '' Fédération Aéronautique Internationale'' In 1984, at age 37, he was in the headlines for flying, on March 31 at 11:20, between the pillars of the

Eiffel tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nicknamed "' ...

aboard a Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft. He was part of a team entered in the Paris to Libreville air race but an engine failure south of Portugal forced him to drop out. After repairing the plane, and encouraged by Richard Fenwic, he turned his attention to the Eiffel Tower. When asked why he had done it, he replied: "Just for fun".(1984) A plane between the tower's pillars
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''Stupid plane tricks
''Air & Space Magazine'', 1 November 2001
A Bonanza in Paris under the Eiffel Tower
by ''Robert J. Moriarty''

Publications

Moriarty published a story about his Vietnam experiences entitled ''Crap Shoot'' in 1993. "Crap Shoot" was one of a dozen or so books or "booklets" written by Moriarty. He wrote: "I had eleven months in-country and orders to report to El Toro in California in two-months. My log showed 253 combat missions and I spent every single one of them hurling myself at the earth making little sticks out of big sticks." Moriarty piloted the L-19, better known as the "Bird Dog", a Cessna "forward air control" (FAC) and Observation aircraft. The works by Robert and Barb are 4.5 x 6 inch professionally printed, mini books titled "Princess Novels" & "Peanut Books". In addition to ''Crap Shoot'', titles include ''The Princess and the Frog'' and ''The Princess and the Pilot''. Moriarty wrote of his service as; a "position whose glory had been lost to those of the military jet aircraft pilots". He states that the "Marine ground pounder called the FAC in their Cessna' and the pilots of the A-37, 'The Small Giants of the PAC'".

Family

He has a twin brother, James Robert Moriarty.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moriarty, Robert 1946 births Living people American aviators American aviation writers Historians of the Vietnam War American aviation record holders