page_title: Alfred A. Cunningham
hierarchical_section_title: Alfred A. Cunningham
caption_attribution_description: English: Lt. Col. Alfred Austell Cunningham, known better to Marines as A.A. Cunningham, is considered "the father of Marine aviation." He received less than three hours of instruction before flying his first solo flight as a Marine aviator. Cunningham later became the "de facto director of Marine Corps aviation," according to Navy archives.
context_page_description: Alfred Austell Cunningham was an American aviator and a United States Marine Corps officer who became the first Marine Corps aviator and the first director of Marine Corps Aviation. His military career included service in the Spanish–American War, World War I, and U.S. operations in the Caribbean during the 1920s.
context_section_description: Alfred Austell Cunningham (March 8, 1882 – May 27, 1939) was an American aviator and a United States Marine Corps officer who became the first Marine Corps aviator and the first director of Marine Corps Aviation. His military career included service in the Spanish–American War, World War I, and U.S. operations in the Caribbean during the 1920s.
caption: 1st Marine Corps aviator
  1st Director of Marine Corps Aviation
exif: {}