The Flying Fitz

About the Book

The Flying Fitz is the remarkable story of the flight of the Bremen airplane.  Commadant James C. Fitzmaurice and two German co-pilots face great challenges as they attempt to complete the first East to West Transatlantic crossing by air.

About the Author

Researching the history of your family is always and interesting project.  The discovery of one’s heritage gives a person a perspective of who they are and where they came from.

When John Fitzmaurice’s sister Jean Julian discovered the history of James C. Fitzmaurice, it sparked and idea of this being a great story for children to read. 

The Bremen flyers exhibited courage, teamwork in spite of differences and the knack for overcoming obstacles that are a lesson to learn for the ages.  James C. Fitzmaurice reached a goal that set himself apart from others in his small country of Ireland. 

The author John Fitzmaurice has been an educator in Michigan for 21 years.  The past 9 years he has been an elementary principal.  The story of “The Flying Fitz” is his first book.  The book is written for the Fitzmaurice family, but is also to be shared with children everywhere to give them the confidence that if you want to do something it can be accomplished.  The book was also important to write because this feat of flying across the Atlantic from east to west is a tale that is unknown in the United States compared to the flight of Charles A. Lindbergh. 

John Fitzmaurice has aspirations of writing more books and getting involved in public speaking.  His topics are leadership, motivation and the fight against childhood obesity.    He also is interested in continuing with his family about researching the history of the Fitzmaurice family. 

Therefore, as Commandant Fitzmaurice would say, “time to crack the whip, and round go the wheels”.  Enjoy reading “The Flying Fitz”! May it inspire you to do something great!