Brigadier General (ret.) Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager was the first person to break the sound barrier and went on to become one of the most legendary figures in aeronautical history. Born in 1923 in Myra, West Virginia, Yeager joined the US Army Air Corps at...
Finlands “Hasse” Wind joined other pilots from his small but gallant country in forging an unforgettable chapter in aviation history. During the Continuation War–one of two conflicts with Russia between 1939 and 1944–he achieved 75 victories to...
Born in East Chicago, Indiana, Alexander Vraciu became the Navy’s fourth ranking ace during World War II by shooting down 19 Japanese aircraft and destroying 21 more on the ground. After graduation from DePauw University in 1941, he entered naval flight training...
From the moment she saw her first airplane in flight, “Bobbi” Trout confessed to being “spellbound on becoming a pilot.” This desire to fly led her to become the fifth woman in the United States to receive a transport pilot’s license and...
Paul W. Tibbets is a World War II bomber pilot of unparalleled fame. Born in 1915 in Quincy, Illinois, he had his first bombing experience at age 12 by dropping candy bars by parachute out of the back seat of a Waco 9 biplane over the Hialeah racetrack. He joined the...
Alan Shepard was the first American in space and the fifth man to set foot on the moon. He received an appointment to the US Naval Academy in 1941, graduating 3 years later in an accelerated World War II class. Shepard first served aboard a destroyer, the USS...
Determined to one day “own the sky,” Robert L. Scott, Jr., dreamed of flying from the day he saw his first aircraft. At the age of 12, he attempted to fly a homemade glider from the roof of a three-story house, but cleared only the first tree when the wing...
Rudolf “Pitz” Opitz is one of Germany’s most famous test pilots. Because of post-World War I aviation restrictions, he began his flying career in gliders. Born in 1910, he built his own glider in 1934 and soon was an instructor at Germany’s...
Known as the “Dean of the Dustoff Pilots”, Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel, at age 48, earned the United States’ highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, by rescuing 29 soldiers during the Vietnam War. Born and raised in Etna, Pennsylvania, Novosel became...
As a Weapon Systems Officer in the F-4D, Roger Locher shot down three MiG-21s in Vietnam and went on to become involved in one of the greatest evasion epics of the war. He entered the Air Force in 1969 through ROTC and completed navigator training. Assigned to the F-4...
William R. Lawley earned America’s highest decoration at the controls of the legendary B-17 Flying Fortress over occupied Europe. Born in Leeds, Alabama, he began his Air Force career as a private and quickly became an Aviation Cadet. Upon graduating from flying...
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...
As a Korean War double jet ace, Colonel (ret) James K. Johnson’s career produced many “firsts. ” Graduating from the University of Arizona in 1939, he entered the Army Air Corps and attended pilot training at Randolph and Kelly Fields, receiving his...
As one of America’s foremost test pilots, Harold Harris played a significant role in the development of both civil and military aviation. Born in 1895, he wet his appetite for flying at age 15 when he attended the first American Aviation Meet at Los Angeles in...
Francis “Gabby” Gabreski, was a member of “The Inner Seven,” an elite group of pilots who achieved the status of “ace ” in both World War II and Korea. Born in Pennsylvania in 1919, he attended Notre Dame University where he learned...
Lt Col Clyde B. East was first selected by Air Command and Staff College’s Gathering of Eagles in 1986 and subsequently honored in 1994. As America’s highest-ranking reconnaissance ace, Clyde East’s flying career spans World War II, Korea, the Cuban...
Graduating from West Point in 1936, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. became one of only two black line officers in the US Army at the time–the other was his father. Initially assigned to the infantry in July 1941, he joined 12 cadets in the first flying training program...
The Marine Corps’ first ace, Marion E. Carl, was awarded the Navy Cross for ” extraordinary heroism” during his very first combat mission. Upon graduating from college in 1938, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. Due to...
