Martin Caidin
Encyclopedia
Martin Caidin was an American
author and an authority on aeronautics
and aviation
.
Caidin wrote more than 50 books, including Samurai!
, Black Thursday, Thunderbolt!
, Fork-Tailed Devil: The P-38, Zero!, The Ragged, Rugged Warriors, A Torch to the Enemy and many other works of military history
. He wrote more than 1,000 magazine articles. Caidin established his own company to promote aeronautical subjects for a young audience and began writing fiction in 1957.
tells the story of an American astronaut who is stranded in space and NASA's attempt to rescue him. The novel was the basis for the movie Marooned
made in 1969. The movie starred Gregory Peck
, Richard Crenna
, David Janssen
, James Franciscus
, and Gene Hackman
.
He twice won the Aviation/Space Writers Association award as the outstanding author in the field of aviation. Among his other honors, he was made an honorary member of the U.S. Army's Golden Knights parachute demonstration team
; flew for several months with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration squadron; and set the world record for the number of people deployed for a wing-walk — nineteen — on one wing of an airplane on November 14, 1981.
Caidin had many aviation adventures. He was one of the people involved in the rescue and resurrection of the Junkers Ju 52
No. 5489 that would become famous on the Warbird
circuit as Iron Annie. He was one of the pilots that flew what will likely be the last-ever formation flight of B-17s across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States to England (via Canada, the Azores and Portugal) in 1961, a trip that involved a near-miss with a submarine, a brawl with KGB
agents, and just barely missing ending up in jail in Portugal, an epic trip he chronicled in his book Everything But the Flak. He wrote what has been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration as the standard aircraft manual for the Messerschmitt Bf 108
. He flew as a pilot in the movie The War Lover
. He was also one of a very few pilots ever to take a Junkers Ju-52 off in less than 400 feet.
Caidin's style of fiction focused on acceptable projections of technical innovations with political and social repercussions. In this respect, his work has some echo in the writing of Michael Crichton
. One recurring theme is that of the cyborg
— the melding of man and machine, epitomized in the use of replacement body parts called bionics
. Caidin references bionics in his 1968 novel The God Machine
, but most famously based his novel Cyborg
(1972) on the concept. Cyborg became Caidin's most famous work when it was adapted for a top-rated television film in 1973 and formed the basis of the television series
The Six Million Dollar Man
and its spin-off, The Bionic Woman
. Caidin himself wrote three sequels to Cyborg —Operation Nuke
, High Crystal
and Cyborg IV
— that differed considerably from the television series version. Years later, Caidin would revisit bionics in a tongue-in-cheek manner for his novel Buck Rogers: A Life in the Future
(a reinvention of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
) in which the title character is given bionic parts after being revived from a centuries-long coma. A remake of The Bionic Woman, titled Bionic Woman
debuted on NBC
in 2007; unlike the original series, on which Caidin was given screen credit for the series being "based on" Cyborg, no such credit was included in the 2007 series.
, which renamed her the Tempelhof. Lufthansa flies her today as a VIP ship and for special charters. An account of Caidin's adventures with 'the corrugated cloud' can be found in his book about the warbird restoration movement, Ragwings and Heavy Iron. A much more in-depth account of the acquisition, restoration, and adventures with "Iron Annie" is in Caidin's book The Saga of Iron Annie. His experiences with Iron Annie's resurrection were also drawn heavily upon for his book Jericho 52.
(head of the American Nazi Party
, who followed George Lincoln Rockwell
), Rabbi Meir Kahane
head of the Jewish Defense League
(assassinated a year later in a hotel lobby in New York), Dick Butler
from Aryan Nations
, journalist Charlie Reese, John McMann from the John Birch Society
, and many others. Caidin was a friend of 1960s talk show host Joe Pyne
and utilized the same "gloves off" interview style coupled with in-depth research and intelligence gathering.
s. Parapsychologist Loyd Auerbach
, a friend of Caidin's who sometimes accompanied him in demonstrations and workshops, reiterated a strong endorsement of him in his June 2004 Fate magazine column: "Martin Caidin was capable of moving things with his mind." Magician James Randi
offered to test Caidin's claimed abilities in 1994. In September 2004, Randi wrote: "He frantically avoided accepting my challenge by refusing even the simplest of proposed control protocols, but he never tired of running on about how I would not test him."
Caidin also taught a progressive journalism course at the University of Florida
in Gainesville titled "Caidin's law".
On page 82 of Caidin's novel, Cyborg IV (Warner Books: May 1976. Library of Congress # 74-80703), the character Steve Austin referenced back to Caidin's own previous novel, Marooned: "A friend of mine wrote about it — did you ever read the book, Marooned?"
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and an authority on aeronautics
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
and aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
.
Caidin wrote more than 50 books, including Samurai!
Samurai!
Samurai is a 1957 book by Martin Caidin, based on the life and career of Saburō Sakai, the Japanese combat aviator who fought against American fighter pilots in the pacific theater of World War II, surviving the war with 64 kills as one of Japan's leading flying aces...
, Black Thursday, Thunderbolt!
Thunderbolt!
Thunderbolt! is a 1947 film documenting the American aerial operations of Operation Strangle in early 1944, when American flyers based on Corsica successfully impeded Axis supply lines to the Gustav Line and Anzio beachhead....
, Fork-Tailed Devil: The P-38, Zero!, The Ragged, Rugged Warriors, A Torch to the Enemy and many other works of military history
Military history
Military history is a humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing intra and international relationships....
. He wrote more than 1,000 magazine articles. Caidin established his own company to promote aeronautical subjects for a young audience and began writing fiction in 1957.
Fiction and awards
Caidin's 1964 novel MaroonedMarooned (novel)
Marooned is a 1964 science fiction thriller novel by Martin Caidin, about a manned spacecraft which becomes stranded in Earth orbit, oxygen running out, and only an experimental craft available to attempt a rescue...
tells the story of an American astronaut who is stranded in space and NASA's attempt to rescue him. The novel was the basis for the movie Marooned
Marooned (film)
Marooned is a 1969 American film directed by John Sturges and starring Gregory Peck, Richard Crenna, David Janssen, James Franciscus, and Gene Hackman....
made in 1969. The movie starred Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
, Richard Crenna
Richard Crenna
Richard Donald Crenna was an American motion picture, television, and radio actor and occasional television director. He starred in such motion pictures as The Sand Pebbles, Wait Until Dark, Body Heat, the first three Rambo movies, Hot Shots! Part Deux, and The Flamingo Kid...
, David Janssen
David Janssen
David Janssen was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive , the starring role in the 1950s hit detective series Richard Diamond, Private Detective , and as Harry Orwell on Harry O.In 1996 TV Guide...
, James Franciscus
James Franciscus
James Grover Franciscus was an American actor, known for his roles in the series The Naked City and The Investigators, and in feature films.-Life and career:...
, and Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
.
He twice won the Aviation/Space Writers Association award as the outstanding author in the field of aviation. Among his other honors, he was made an honorary member of the U.S. Army's Golden Knights parachute demonstration team
United States Army Parachute Team
The United States Army Parachute Team, nicknamed and commonly known as the Golden Knights, is a demonstration and competition parachute team of the United States Army...
; flew for several months with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration squadron; and set the world record for the number of people deployed for a wing-walk — nineteen — on one wing of an airplane on November 14, 1981.
Caidin had many aviation adventures. He was one of the people involved in the rescue and resurrection of the Junkers Ju 52
Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler...
No. 5489 that would become famous on the Warbird
Warbird
Warbird is a term used, predominantly in North America, to describe vintage military aircraft.- Naming :Although the term originally implied piston-driven aircraft from the World War II era, it is now often extended to include all military aircraft, including jet-powered aircraft, that are no...
circuit as Iron Annie. He was one of the pilots that flew what will likely be the last-ever formation flight of B-17s across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States to England (via Canada, the Azores and Portugal) in 1961, a trip that involved a near-miss with a submarine, a brawl with KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
agents, and just barely missing ending up in jail in Portugal, an epic trip he chronicled in his book Everything But the Flak. He wrote what has been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration as the standard aircraft manual for the Messerschmitt Bf 108
Messerschmitt Bf 108
-Popular culture:Bf 108s and postwar Nord 1000s, played the role of Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters in war movies, including The Longest Day, 633 Squadron, Von Ryan's Express and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.-See also:-References:Notes...
. He flew as a pilot in the movie The War Lover
The War Lover
The War Lover is a 1962 British black-and-white war film directed by Philip Leacock and written by Howard Koch loosely based on the 1959 novel, The War Lover by John Hersey, altering the names of characters and events but retaining its basic framework...
. He was also one of a very few pilots ever to take a Junkers Ju-52 off in less than 400 feet.
Caidin's style of fiction focused on acceptable projections of technical innovations with political and social repercussions. In this respect, his work has some echo in the writing of Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton
John Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted...
. One recurring theme is that of the cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
— the melding of man and machine, epitomized in the use of replacement body parts called bionics
Bionics
Bionics is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology.The word bionic was coined by Jack E...
. Caidin references bionics in his 1968 novel The God Machine
The God Machine (1968 novel)
The God Machine is a science fiction written by Martin Caidin and first published in 1968. Set in the near future, the novel tells the story of a top secret cybernetic technician Steve Rand, one of the brains behind Project 79, a top-secret US government project dedicated to creating artificial...
, but most famously based his novel Cyborg
Cyborg (novel)
Cyborg is the title of a science fiction/secret agent novel by Martin Caidin which was first published in 1972. The novel also included elements of speculative fiction, and was adapted as the television series The Six Million Dollar Man and also inspired its spin-off, The Bionic Woman.-Plot...
(1972) on the concept. Cyborg became Caidin's most famous work when it was adapted for a top-rated television film in 1973 and formed the basis of the television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for the OSI...
and its spin-off, The Bionic Woman
The Bionic Woman
The Bionic Woman is an American television series starring Lindsay Wagner that aired for three seasons between 1976 and 1978 as a spin off from The Six Million Dollar Man. Wagner stars as tennis pro Jaime Sommers who is nearly killed in a skydiving accident. Sommers' life is saved by Oscar Goldman ...
. Caidin himself wrote three sequels to Cyborg —Operation Nuke
Operation Nuke
Operation Nuke is the title of the second book in the Cyborg series of science fiction/secret agent novels by Martin Caidin which was first published in 1973, just prior to Cyborg being adapted as the television series The Six Million Dollar Man...
, High Crystal
High Crystal
High Crystal is a science fiction/secret agent novel by Martin Caidin that was first published in 1974. It was the second sequel to Caidin's 1972 work Cyborg, which in turn was the basis for the television series The Six Million Dollar Man...
and Cyborg IV
Cyborg IV
Cyborg IV is a science fiction/secret agent novel by Martin Caidin that was first published in 1975. It was the fourth and final book in a series of novels Caidin began in 1972 with Cyborg, profiling the adventures of astronaut Steve Austin, who becomes a spy for the American government after an...
— that differed considerably from the television series version. Years later, Caidin would revisit bionics in a tongue-in-cheek manner for his novel Buck Rogers: A Life in the Future
Buck Rogers: A Life in the Future
Buck Rogers: A Life in the Future is the title of a science fiction novel by Martin Caidin published in 1995.The novel is a reimagining of Buck Rogers, a pulp fiction character created in the 1920s by Philip Francis Nowlan and later popularized in a long-running comic strip and in films and...
(a reinvention of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....
) in which the title character is given bionic parts after being revived from a centuries-long coma. A remake of The Bionic Woman, titled Bionic Woman
Bionic Woman (2007 TV series)
Bionic Woman is an American science fiction television drama created by David Eick, under NBC Universal Television Group, GEP Productions and David Eick Productions that aired in 2007...
debuted on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in 2007; unlike the original series, on which Caidin was given screen credit for the series being "based on" Cyborg, no such credit was included in the 2007 series.
Aircraft restoration projects
Martin Caidin is also known for having restored the oldest surviving Junkers Ju 52 aircraft, which he named Iron Annie, to full airworthiness. In 1984 Iron Annie was sold to LufthansaLufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
, which renamed her the Tempelhof. Lufthansa flies her today as a VIP ship and for special charters. An account of Caidin's adventures with 'the corrugated cloud' can be found in his book about the warbird restoration movement, Ragwings and Heavy Iron. A much more in-depth account of the acquisition, restoration, and adventures with "Iron Annie" is in Caidin's book The Saga of Iron Annie. His experiences with Iron Annie's resurrection were also drawn heavily upon for his book Jericho 52.
Talk show host
In the mid-1980s, Caidin hosted a series of one-hour confrontational talk shows titled Face to Face. The raw subject matter challenged many of the extreme right wing and hate groups that were being operated covertly in the United States. The shows were co-written and produced by Bob Judson and were produced at the Nautilus Television Studios outside of Orlando, Florida. On the air Caidin challenged Matthew F. HaleMatthew F. Hale
Matthew F. Hale , more commonly known as Matt Hale, was the third Pontifex Maximus of the white supremacist religion, Creativity, and the founder of the group formerly known as the World Church of the Creator and now known as The Creativity Movement. The organization's headquarters were based in...
(head of the American Nazi Party
American Nazi Party
The American Nazi Party was an American political party founded by discharged U.S. Navy Commander George Lincoln Rockwell. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Rockwell initially called it the World Union of Free Enterprise National Socialists , but later renamed it the American Nazi Party in...
, who followed George Lincoln Rockwell
George Lincoln Rockwell
George Lincoln Rockwell was the founder of the American Nazi Party. Rockwell was a major figure in the neo-Nazi movement in the United States, and his beliefs and writings have continued to be influential among white nationalists and neo-Nazis.-Early life:Rockwell was born in Bloomington,...
), Rabbi Meir Kahane
Meir Kahane
Martin David Kahane , also known as Meir Kahane , was an American-Israeli rabbi and ultra-nationalist writer and political figure. He was an ordained Orthodox rabbi and later served as a member of the Israeli Knesset...
head of the Jewish Defense League
Jewish Defense League
The Jewish Defense League is a Jewish organization whose stated goal is to "protect Jews from antisemitism by whatever means necessary"...
(assassinated a year later in a hotel lobby in New York), Dick Butler
Dick Butler
John Richard "Dick" Butler was a Canadian professional ice hockey right wing who played seven games in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Black Hawks. Butler spent most of his career with the Tulsa Oilers of the United States Hockey League.-External links:...
from Aryan Nations
Aryan Nations
Aryan Nations is a white supremacist religious organization originally based in Hayden Lake, Idaho. Richard Girnt Butler founded the group in the 1970s, as an arm of the Christian Identity organization Church of Jesus Christ–Christian...
, journalist Charlie Reese, John McMann from the John Birch Society
John Birch Society
The John Birch Society is an American political advocacy group that supports anti-communism, limited government, a Constitutional Republic and personal freedom. It has been described as radical right-wing....
, and many others. Caidin was a friend of 1960s talk show host Joe Pyne
Joe Pyne
Joe Pyne was an American radio and television talk show host, who pioneered the confrontational style in which the host advocates a viewpoint and argues with guests and audience members...
and utilized the same "gloves off" interview style coupled with in-depth research and intelligence gathering.
Psychic ability claims
Also in the mid-1980s, Caidin began claiming to have the psychic power of telekinesis; specifically, to be able to cause movement in one or multiple small tabletop "energy wheels," also known as psi wheelPsi wheel
A Psi wheel is pyramid-shaped top-like device consisting of a small piece of paper or foil balanced on the tip of a pointed object...
s. Parapsychologist Loyd Auerbach
Loyd Auerbach
Loyd Auerbach is a professor of parapsychology and a prominent field investigator in psychic phenomena. He is an accomplished professional mentalist and psychic entertainer, performing as Professor Paranormal before private and corporate groups...
, a friend of Caidin's who sometimes accompanied him in demonstrations and workshops, reiterated a strong endorsement of him in his June 2004 Fate magazine column: "Martin Caidin was capable of moving things with his mind." Magician James Randi
James Randi
James Randi is a Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
offered to test Caidin's claimed abilities in 1994. In September 2004, Randi wrote: "He frantically avoided accepting my challenge by refusing even the simplest of proposed control protocols, but he never tired of running on about how I would not test him."
Caidin also taught a progressive journalism course at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville titled "Caidin's law".
On page 82 of Caidin's novel, Cyborg IV (Warner Books: May 1976. Library of Congress # 74-80703), the character Steve Austin referenced back to Caidin's own previous novel, Marooned: "A friend of mine wrote about it — did you ever read the book, Marooned?"