"Landing in Luck" was William Faulkner's first published short story.[1] Appearing in the November 26, 1919 issue of The Mississippian, a literary magazine at the University of Mississippi, "Landing in Luck" tells the story of Cadet Thompson, who is sent on a solo flight without adequate instruction. Thompson lands successfully, and his flight instructor, Bessing, takes credit for the fine job he did of teaching the cadet pilot. It is a fictional exaggeration based on Faulkner's experience as a cadet-pilot for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1918.
The setting of the story is likely Leaside Aerodrome in Toronto, Ontario. While a student at the School of Military Aeronautics at the University of Toronto in 1918, Faulkner had many opportunities to observe the operations at this airfield.[2][3]
Opinion varies on the quality of "Landing in Luck:; biographer Stephen B. Oates calls it "amusing",[4] while another biographer labels the story "generic" and "without real depth".[5]