Wilfred Anthony (Tony) Yackey, Jr. (August 27, 1890 – October 4, 1927), known professionally as W.A. Yackey, was an airplane pioneer of the 1920s. A veteran pilot of World War I, he flew for both the United States and Italian Air Force, and was decorated with the Croix de Guerre by the French government for acts of heroism against the enemy. Returning to the United States, he settled outside of Chicago and operated the Checkerboard Aviation Field in Maywood, Illinois. From this area he would start a flying school, advertised as one of the oldest flying schools in the United States at the time. He would also start the Yackey Aircraft Company, first modifying surplus World War I planes for civilian private and commercial use, and later manufacturing planes of his own design. On October 4, 1927, Tony Yackey died while he was testing one of his planes over the air field when a wing collapsed, causing the plane to crash into the grounds. Early life and World War I Tony Yackey was born in St. Louis, Missouri on August 27, 1890, to mother Magdelena (Beck) Yackey and father Wilfred A. Yackey, Sr., a businessman. Before World War I, Yackey was an aspiring auto racer. With the outbreak of the Great War, Yackey traveled to Italy in 1914 to join the Italian Air Force, where he served as a combat pilot. Upon the United States' entry in 1917, he transferred the US Army and continued to fly missions until he was injured near the end of the war. For his heroic effort, the French government awarded him the Croix de Guerre, given to pilots of foreign nations. US Air Mail Service and Air Racing Career Between March 1921 and October 1922, Yackey would be hired as a pilot for the growing US Air Mail Service. Initially stationed out of College Park, Maryland, he would eventually be assigned routes starting in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Omaha, Nebraska, Iowa City, Iowa, and finally Chicago, Illinois. After leaving the service, Yackey remained in the Chicago area, and kept busy as a stunt pilot and air racer. On August 13, 1922, he participated in the first annual "Aerial Revue" at Checkerboard Aviation Field, competing in a modified Breguet 14 WWI-era bomber in a 20-mile race. On October 2–4, 1924 Yackey participated in the National Air Races in Dayton, Ohio. On the first day, he placed fifth