An American military officer who helped develop strategic bombing theory and practice. Giles was named commanding general of the Army Air Forces in the Pacific Ocean Area in April 1945 and was in charge of planning the final B-29 Superfortress air attacks
Member Early Birds of Aviation/devoted to history of early pilots. Started 1928 & membership totaled 598/Membership limited to the pilots of glider, gas balloon, or airplane, pre-12/17/1916. Time of Wright Bro's 1st flight-1916 when many trained 4 WW1
One of 1st inductees to Black Aviation Hall of Fame/Became a part-time stunt flyer with the legendary airshow impresario Bill Sweet/Member of the Kansas Senate
Tuskegee Airmen, Involved in the Freeman Field mutiny where a racist commander not allowing blacks & whites to talk to each other, & not allowing the black officer into the officer club. Also led to 162 black officers walked into the club and arrested
USAF & NASA pilot - director for Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards. For USAF - tested A-10, F-15, F-16
WWII pilot, born 1920. First mission was as a dive bomber at the Battle of Midway, Battle of Guadacanal and Battle of Tokyo. Flew SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber
Member Early Birds of Aviation/devoted to history of early pilots. Started 1928 & membership totaled 598/Membership limited to the pilots of glider, gas balloon, or airplane, pre-12/17/1916. Time of Wright Bro's 1st flight-1916 when many trained 4 WW1
One of the last living crewmembers (1917-2002) of the Hindenburg that survived the 1937 crash. Served as a ship cook, he jumped to safety through an opening in the ship and ran to safety as the ship fell behind him
US Army WWII vet, born 1921. Served in the Signal Intelligence Service, through Africa and Italy. Later a career with Pan-Am Airlines, and close friends with the Monaco royal family. Married in Italy with actor Rex Harrison as a witness
Army Air Corps.1st mission firebombing mission Hamm, Germany Feb, 1945. Flew 23 missions/part 8th Air Force, Rookie crew, 1st combat mission, bomber Last plane in formation to pass over the target - position known as 'Tail End Charlie'
Maj.Gen. Patrick J. Halloran is deputy director for strategic command, control and communications systems, Command, Control and Communications Systems Directorate, Joint Staff, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington,D.C.
Col. USAF pilot in the Berlin Airlift known as the 'candy Bomber' dropped candy to children from his plane over Berlin, flew the A-26, B-25, C-47, C-54 and C-74
Flight Steward who served on Air Force One for Kennedy through Ford. Flew JFK into Dallas, then helped tear out seats to fit the casket in after the shot. Stayed in the area with Jackie Kennedy and JFK's body during the flight back to DC.
WW2 Spitfire pilot and Flight Commander who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his attacks on enemy aircraft. Born: 1916 and recently reached his 100th birthday. Lives in a care home in Ammanford, South Wales, UK
Producer, director, author, photographer and pilot. President of Handleman Filmworks. Owner of Handleman Sky Ranch. Director of the Michigan Air Guard Historical Association. Has served on more than thirty civic and charitable boards
WWII TBF Avenger torpedo dive bomber pilot. Battle of Midway and the Battle of Guadalcanal. Torpedo Squadron 8. Received two Navy Crosses and three Air Medals. Featured in book, 'A Dawn Like Thunder.'
Samurai of the sky/Japanese Zero Pilot WW2/19 Victories/Public Speaker/Imperial Japanese Navy, and graduated from the service's 35th fighter pilot course/Lives @ NAGANO, Japan/http://ww2db.com/person-bio.php?person-id=777
Bell X-1 PILOT, Early experimental research test pilot for the X-1 aircraft, and program manager for the Lifting Body program! Survived crash landing in F-94C in 1954
Pioneering stewardess and WWII nurse, born 1916. Special duty nurse for Air Force Gen. Hap Arnold, after having been one of Delta's first ever stewardesses from 1940-43
Wife Tuskegee Airman/NASA's highest ranking black female in 1973 when she was fired for seeking equal opportunity for blacks at NASA/Author 'The Harlem Princess'
NASA research pilot. Flies the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a modified Boeing 747SP with the worldâ-?s largest airborne astronomical observatory
Pioneer military aviator who survived 10 days in Alaska's wilderness after crashing in around-the-world flight attempt in 1924/1941 commanded an around-the-world flight of 24,600 miles set record of 121 hours & 55 minute
Vietnam - Last Flight From Da Nang, pilot. Ken is the pilot of the famous 'Last Flight from Da Nang' on March 29, 1975, when World Airways owner Ed Daly took his 727-100 to Da Nang which had become Vietcong-controlled
WWII: 32nd Bomb Squadron, 301st Bomb Broup; Herbert Heilbrun piloted a B-17 Flying Fortress and was escorted by the Tuskegee Airmen. 32 missions including Linz, Austria, and Brux, Czechoslovakia, After the war test pilot at Wright Field, Dayton Ohio
Super Bowl Sunday 1969 he hijacked United Airlines flight to Havana. A former Green Beret, his mission to get Fidel Castro. Reds boarded a 727 from Miami forced pilot to fly to Cuba. He had the pilot send a message, 'Tell Fidel, El Rojo is coming.'
USAF, (Ret) Original Tuskegee Airman/One key event took place while working in crash & rescue. During one aircraft incident, heroically helped remove, then Col B. O. Davis Jr, from his damaged plane upon landing at locbourne Air Force Base
Singaporean WWII vet, born 1920. Last surviving Singaporean pilot of the Flying Tigers. Served in the Chinese American Composite Wing, assigned to the 14th US Air Force. 18 B-25 missions. Career as Captain with Malaysia-Singapore Airlines
Member Early Birds of Aviation/devoted to history of early pilots. Started 1928 & membership totaled 598/Membership limited to the pilots of glider, gas balloon, or airplane, pre-12/17/1916. Time of Wright Bro's 1st flight-1916 when many trained 4 WW1
Jerry T. Hodges Jr was born on June 29, 1925 in Tennessee. He became one of many Tuskegee Airmen. He went into WW2 from 1944 to 1945 and became a businessman after the war
(Born 1941) US Navy Vietnam Veteran. POW from 1971 to 1973. Recipient of Defense Superior Service Medal, a Legion of Merit, a Distinguished Flying Cross, 2 Bronze Stars, and 3 Purple Hearts
USN Test Pilot School Instructor/Chief, Human Systems Engineering Branch/USAF Test Pilot School Academic Instructor/Participated as a geophysicist on a remote field expedition to the Antarctic
Early experimental research test pilot for the X-1 aircraft and other aircraft. In 1952, Holtoner became the commander of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base
Bob Hoover was Chuck Yeager's backup pilot in the Bell X-1 program, and he flew chase in a Lockheed P-80 when Yeager first exceeded Mach 1(broke the sound barrier)on October 14, 1947.
NASA pilot - remotely pilots the Global Hawk, X-56 and Resilient Autonomy unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and also flies missions for Armstrong's King Air research testbed and T-34 mission support aircraft
Last known surviving Navy groundcrewman at the Hindenburg crash in 1937. A veteran of the Navy's blimp program in the 1920s/1930s, and a WWII veteran. Died at 94 in 2005
Pilot in World War I and as an operations officer in World War II as well as commanding Officer of the 446th Bomb Group at Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth/Participated in drafting the original Civil Air regulations
Aviator/member Mercury 13, flight instructor, demonstration pilot, advisor to (FAA). President of Ninety-Nines. Written about flying and history of women in flight. Together with Wally Funk, Jessen is one of the last two surviving members of Mercury 13
Test pilot. Set the world altitude record in 1958 by flying to 91,249 feet in an F-104 Starfighter. He?s clocked 7,000 hours in 15 fighter planes, trained pilots in World War II, and flew fighter planes in Korea and Vietnam
'Hidden Figure' African-American physicist and mathematician who made contributions to the US aeronautics and space programs with early application of digital electronic computers at NASA
NASA Apollo Engineer, born 1942. Flight Controller for the EMU (Space Suit) through Apollo 13. Helped design, analyze, and test the suits. NASA medical requirements led to his doctorate and career as a Seattle OB-GYN
Supercentenarian (1893-2005). One of the last living women voters of the 1920 election. Also witnessed a flight demonstration by the Wright Brothers in Indiana as a young woman
US WWII Marine, born 1924. Served in the Battles of Guadalcanal and Tarawa. Worked under Werner von Braun in the 50s, absorbed into the newly formed NASA. Knew and worked with astronauts back to the original 7. Retired in 1985
US Army Air Force WWII vet (1926-2021). B-29 Tail Gunner in the South Pacific. HIs plane escorted the Enola Gay, and he witnessed Hiroshima from about a mile away in the air. Days later, he had the same role, witnessing Nagaski's bombing
(Born 1938) US Navy Vietnam Veteran. POW from 1965 to 1973. Recipient of 2 Silver Stars, 4 Legion of Merits, Distinguished Flying Cross, 4 Bronze Stars, and 2 Purple Hearts
NASA scientist and leader in the design of several robotic deep-space planetary missions.He is also an author, game developer, lecturer,photographer and environmentalist
Member Early Birds of Aviation/devoted to history of early pilots. Started 1928 & membership totaled 598/Membership limited to the pilots of glider, gas balloon, or airplane, pre-12/17/1916. Time of Wright Bro's 1st flight-1916 when many trained 4 WW1
WWII: The only surviving Polish squadron commander in the UK; served in the Polish Air Force in Poland (defense of Poland 1939), France (starting July 1941) and Britain and later served in the Royal Air Force.
Born 1947 US Air Force Vietnam and Iraq Veteran. POW in Vietnam from 1972 to 1973. 2 Legion of Merits, 1 Distinguished Flying Cross, a Purple Heart, and 1 Bronze Star
WWII P-38 Lightning Fighter Pilot. 2 aerial victories before being shot down over Aachen Germany on 16 September 1944. Also flex B17, B-24, B-25, B-26, P-39, P-47, P-51, P-59A, P-63, Wildcat, Hellcat, P80 and P-84
Member Early Birds of Aviation/devoted to history of early pilots. Started 1928 & membership totaled 598/Membership limited to the pilots of glider, gas balloon, or airplane, pre-12/17/1916. Time of Wright Bro's 1st flight-1916 when many trained 4 WW1
WWII Fighter pilot. Shot down a German ME 262 jet figher and a German Arado AR 234 jet bomber. Flew with the 82nd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group (1944/1945) to April 1945) 61 combat missions (167:40 combat hours in a P-47, 107:50 in a P-51)
Retired Air Force member, worked as an VIP Air Force Crew Member, served various times on Air Force One, Air Force Two, and First Lady Missions. Lead Usher for President George H W Bush Funeral. Traveled w/several Presidents, First Ladies and other distin
(Born 1941) US Air Force Vietnam Veteran. POW from 1966 to 1973. Recipient of a Silver Star, 2 Legion of Merits, a Distinguished Flying Cross, and a Purple Heart
German World War II Luftwaffe 70-victory flying ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He held the position of Geschwaderkommodore of fighter wing Jagdgeschwader 51
NASA test pilot - X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft, and is assigned to Armstrong's F/A-18, F-15, T-34 research and mission support aircraft and DC-8 airborne science aircraft
Born 1943 US Navy Vietnam and Gulf War Veteran. POW in Vietnam from May 1972 to March 1973. Recipient of a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, 3 Legion of Merit's, and Distinguished Flying Cross
Member Early Birds of Aviation/devoted to history of early pilots. Started 1928 & membership totaled 598/Membership limited to the pilots of glider, gas balloon, or airplane, pre-12/17/1916. Time of Wright Bro's 1st flight-1916 when many trained 4 WW1
(born 18 July 1921) was a highly decorated Leutnant der Reserve of the Brandenburgers in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He was Rommel's personal and favorite combat driver
US Air Force Gen. & VP running mate of George Wallace in 1968/ credited designing & implementing effective, but controversial systematic strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific theater of WW2/headed Berlin airlift
WWII - Fighter Ace, 5 victories (between 23 May 1944 and 14 June 1944), plus a probable 3 damage claims. 49th Fighter Squadron, 14th Fighter Group, 15th Air Force; European Theater
(Born 1935) US Navy Vietnam Veteran. Started his naval career in 1958. He flew with VA-176 from 1961 to 1964, which included a deployment during the Cuban Missile Crisis. POW in Vietnam from 1972 to 1973
NASA pilot - X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft, F-15, F-18, T-34 and King Air, as well as the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)
Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame, born 1923. WWII RCAF pilot, flew cover on D-Day. Post war flew for Canada's NATO and Air Defense Command, made Brig. General in 1970
Jim was the USMC Pilot who nearly saved Gus Grissom's ill fated Liberty Bell 7, as it flooded with water and sank to the bottom of the sea following it's splashdown on 7/21/61, author - Short Tales By A Tall Pilot (2013)
Member Early Birds of Aviation/devoted to history of early pilots. Started 1928 & membership totaled 598/Membership limited to the pilots of glider, gas balloon, or airplane, pre-12/17/1916. Time of Wright Bro's 1st flight-1916 when many trained 4 WW1
US Military officer, civil servant (1887-1971) Army Capt. for WWI airmail service. Transferred to PO's first airmail supervisor in 1918. Then into private aviation, known as the father of commercial aviation
Chronicled in Captain Carole: How One of the Navy's First Female Pilots Fought Sexism, Saved 114 Souls on US Airways Flight 70, and Exposed a Coverup (by Carole Leigh Litten with Maynard Poland and David Demers)
WWII: WWII Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) Pilot; one of only 6 'Attagirls' still alive. Joined the ATA in 1943, flew 100s of ferry missions in Spitfires, Hurricanes and Lancaster Bombers
NASA research pilot, flies the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a modified Boeing 747SP with the world's largest airborne astronomical observatory, and the Gulfstream III (G-III) mission support aircraft
Col. Lukas, 'Tuskegee Airmen', graduated at what is now Tuskegee University, Alabama. First African American woman in the Air Force to be promoted to the rank of colonel.Wiki:
Flew the B-52 mothership for the X-1 flight. (The 'Mothership' is the aircraft from which the X-1 aircraft & Test Pilot is launched from) also commanded the t-34, t-37, t-33, b-57, t-38, f-104, kc-135, t-39, a-26, a-1, ec-137, c-5
First officer of the French Navy and joined on 16 August 1927 to the Compagnie Generale Aeropostale , a French airmail company, from which, after the nationalization in 1933, Air France emerged. He participated in the first postal service
American aeronautical engineer & founder of AeroVironment & designer of human-powered aircraft that won the first Kremer prize. He devoted his life to developing more efficient transportation vehicles that could 'Do more wit
Test pilot, flew YF-12, XB-70, M2 Lifting Body, F8, F9, F-86, Pilot NASA Dryden Flight Research Center 63-81.Later became deputy chief Dryden Aircraft Operations Div/1st joined NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in 1957
(Born 1949) US Army Vietnam Veteran. POW from 1970 to 1973. Recipient of a Silver Star, a Legion of Merit, a Distinguished Flying Cross, 3 Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart
Distinguished Flying Cross Recip, Fighter Pilot, Airline Pilot/Combat-Proven, Officer 20+ years successful leadership experience in US Air Force. Over 4,000 flight hours in Air Force F-16s, Boeing 737s & aviation aircraft in 10+ countries
US Army Air Corps WWII veteran. Bombadier on a B-29 crew based in Saipan, flew 13 missions over Japan. Part of the fly-over during the Japanese Surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay
Born 3/5/2021, flew P-51 Mustang fighters in Europe throughout WW II until was shot down in 1945 and taken prisoner, awarded Purple Heart & Distinguished Flying Cross/Renaissance Marquisâ-? favorite residents still has a few stories to tell
American chemist, born 1933. Served as the Launch and Flight Weather Officer for the first US satellite, Explorer I in 1958. Made the call to it for two days to avoid high upper winds. Worked on the 1st Intercontinental ballistic missile. Also a champion
Member Early Birds of Aviation/devoted to history of early pilots. Started 1928 & membership totaled 598/Membership limited to the pilots of glider, gas balloon, or airplane, pre-12/17/1916. Time of Wright Bro's 1st flight-1916 when many trained 4 WW1
Aviation/JFK - First female pilot to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean (7,415 miles). Flying a Piper Apache, left April 25, 1963 from Oakland, CA, arriving in Brisbane, Australia, on May 13, 1963. Met JFK at the White House
Aviation Pioneer, (1905-2008). 1920s Barnstormer, saw Lindbergh's take-off, 1st Transcontinental Autogyro Flight (beat Earhardt by days), first rooftop landing (as an Aurtogyro airmail pilot), Eastern Airlines Captain, and oldest active pilot at 101
1051st Quartermaster Company, provided food & clothing to Tuskegee Airmen. Recieved Gold Medal from President Bush with Tuskegee Airmen. Chaplin to Tuskegee Airmen East Coast Chapter. 'Bodyguard to Martin Luther King from Selma Alabama to Montgomery'
Born 1942 US Air Force Vietnam Veteran. POW from 1972 to 1973. 1 Bronze Star, 1 Distinguished Flying Cross, 1 Legion of Merit, and 1 Defense Superior Service Medal
Dam Busters World War 2 VeteranPilot: F/L John Leslie Munro ? Born 1919 New Zealand. . Retired as Wing Commander. Still living in Te Kuiti in New Zealand where he was Mayor for several years.
(Born 1941) US Air Force Vietnam War Veteran. POW from 1967 to 1973. Recipient of a Silver Star, a Legion of Merit, a Distinguished Flying Cross, and 2 Purple Hearts
NASA pilot - flies the Lockheed ER-2 high - altitude science jet, SOFIA, Gulfstream III, C-20A (G - III) science aircraft carrying NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's synthetic aperture radar and the TG-14 research motorglider
NASA pilot - flies NASA's high-altitude ER-2 Earth science aircraft and the C-20A, a modified Gulfstream III business jet that carries a sophisticated synthetic aperture radar on environmental science missions
Member Early Birds of Aviation/devoted to history of early pilots. Started 1928 & membership totaled 598/Membership limited to the pilots of glider, gas balloon, or airplane, pre-12/17/1916. Time of Wright Bro's 1st flight-1916 when many trained 4 WW1
(Born 1925) WW2 and Korean War USAAF Veteran. Was in a B-24 Liberator and a tail gunner on a B-29. Witnessed the mushroom cloud from Nagasaki off in the distance in 1945. POW during the Korean War for 2 years
Aerospace engineer; Project Engineer (Flight Operations) for the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle and for the X?15 Rocket Aircraft served as the flight test Propulsion Engineer. Founder of ALETRO in 2008
Real life Rosie the Riveter; worked B-29 line in Wichita, KS. Volunteer on Doc restoration. Most of her original rivets from when she installed them at 18 years old were still sound
Member Early Birds of Aviation/devoted to history of early pilots. Started 1928 & membership totaled 598/Membership limited to the pilots of glider, gas balloon, or airplane, pre-12/17/1916. Time of Wright Bro's 1st flight-1916 when many trained 4 WW1
Engineer & space scientist known for work on space elevators/Developed aircraft & spacecraft technology for Air Force, DARPA, NASA. Holds patents & author nearly 100 publications in aircraft, spacecraft, tethers & global climate control
Enlisted US Air Force in 1942 during World War II. Peterburs served in 55th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Group, & he piloted a P-51 Mustang; on 10 April 1945, he shot down Walter Schuck's Me 262
Test pilot/Assigned as one of the project pilots on the Rogallo paraglider research vehicle (Paresev) program. He made his first Paresev research flight on March 14, 1962