CEO, DEKA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Dean Kamen is an inventor, entrepreneur, and tireless advocate for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). As an inventor, he holds over 1,000 patents, many of which are for innovative medical devices that have...
Abraham “Abe” Karem was born in Baghdad, Iraq and raised in Israel. His desire to become an engineer was apparent at the young age of 8. As a teen he explored the Israeli Aero Club and fell in love with aviation; discovering his calling to design aircraft. After...
James H. Kasler is the only person ever to be decorated with three Air Force Crosses. Born in South Bend, Indiana, in 1926, he completed high school in Indianapolis. He then enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in May 1944. He flew combat missions...
James R. “Jim” Kirk was a courageous ball turret gunner who flew 27 combat missions in the B-17G “Flying Fortress” during World War II. After two semesters at the University of Michigan, Jim was drafted in March 1943. Following basic training,...
General William L. Kirk is a father of the Red Flag Program, which was key to training USAF combat crews in the Gulf War. Born in 1932 in Louisiana, he and his four sisters grew up on a farm. When Kirk was 10 years old, his father arranged a flight for him in a Piper...
Joseph W. Kittinger, Jr., commanded the 555th Triple Nickel Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) in Vietnam, was a POW in the Hanoi Hilton, and is the current world record holder for highest manned balloon flight, longest parachute jump, and longest freefall. Born in...
Olle Klinker is one of Sweden’s most famous pilots and the first person outside the United States to receive the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) prestigious Doolittle Award. Born in 1921, Klinker developed a love for airplanes very early and, at age...
Lieutenant General Frank G. Klotz’ distinguished Air Force career spanned 37 years. During that time, he was Chief of Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Plans Branch for the United States mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, served as Director of...
Holding pilot license #185, signed by Orville Wright, Brigadier General Robert D. Knapp has had a long and varied aviation career. He was born in Moreland, Georgia, but grew up in Auburn, Alabama. In 1917, 19-year-old Knapp was turned down for Army officer training...
Fighter pilot, test pilot, astronaut, and politician, William J. “Pete” Knight is holder of the world’s speed record for winged powered flight. Born in Nobelsville, Indiana, in 1929, he earned his commission and pilot wings through the Aviation Cadet...
Richard A. Knobloch piloted one of the 16 North American B-25 Mitchells that carried out the famed Doolittle Raid, the most daring mission in the annals of aviation history! Knobloch was born in 1918 in Wisconsin. He attended high school in Illinois, but returned to...
Eugene F. “Gene” Kranz is one of America’s great space exploration pioneers. He was born on 17 August 1933 in Toledo, Ohio. As a child he always had a strong fascination with flight and the possibilities of space travel. After studying math, science...
Gene Kranz began his aeronautic journey in the USAF as a F-86 pilot, with a tour in Korea. Back in the US, he joins the early space program and becomes one of the first and most iconic NASA’s flight directors, in charge for famous missions such as Gemini 5,...
General Walter Kross is a United States Air Force combat veteran whose military experience, from 1964 to 1998 was quite extensive, culminating as Commander-in-Chief of the United States Transportation Command and commander, Air Mobility Command (AMC), Scott Air Force...
Walter Krupinski, known as “Graf Punski” or “Count Punski” in the Jagdwaffe (fighter-pursuit force), was a swashbuckling fly-boy with a phenomenal record of 197 aerial victories. Krupinski not only never lost a wingman, but also had the ability...
One of the most famous Stuka dive-bomber pilots of the Second World War was Kurt Kuhlmey. Born in Insterburg, East Prussia, he began his flying career at the age of 15 piloting gliders. By 1932, he received his glider pilot’s license and began training in...
