Elrey B. Jeppesen is probably one of the best known names in aviation. True, some of us tend to associate his name with charts or the famous flight bag, but it was Elrey the man and pilot who left his indelible mark on making aviation safer. You can read more about his story and the famous black book here.
We visited Jeppesen’s European headquarters near Frankfurt recently as part of a film project. His larger than life statute greets the visitor, immediately setting the mood. The statute’s base is adorned by a plaque with his famous words:
“I didn’t develop the charts to get famous, I did it to stay alive”.
Doing so, he also helped thousands of other pilots stay alive too.
