Celebrated Aircraft Engineer and Designer Ed Swearingen was inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame during ceremonies at The Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Texas. Swearingen designed the SJ30 light jet over 20 years ago, and has been instrumental in nursing it from the original design to certification in October 2005, and then to market in October 2006. Mr. Swearingen has spent a lifetime making aircraft better, and advancing the aerospace industry through his innovative designs and thinking.

The museum opened a permanent display dedicated to Mr. Swearingen as part of the ceremony. It contains photos, models, and other memorabilia from his career in aviation. In addition, SSAC will donate the first prototype SJ30 that flew in 1990 to the Lone Star Flight Museum. The aircraft should arrive in Galveston by the end of this year as a permanent symbol of Mr. Swearingen's lasting influence on general aviation.

"We are all very proud of Ed's accomplishments," commented Dr. Ching-Chiang Kuo, Chairman and CEO of SSAC. "We at SSAC have been fortunate to have worked side-by-side with Ed and to witness his incomparable skills and abilities. We greatly appreciate his visionary leadership that has led this company to the development and certification of a remarkable achievement in aviation history, the SJ30."

During the induction ceremony Larry Gregory (below, left), President of the Lone Star Flight Museum, said, “Ed Swearingen (pictured below, center) is a Texas Aviation visionary. His innovative designs have shaped the entire industry from general aviation aircraft to large military transports. The superior performance of the SJ30 is a testimony to Ed’s leadership throughout the program. We are honored to receive the SJ30 prototype and look forward to having it on display for years to come.”

The Lone Star Flight Museum is dedicated to the men and women who developed aviation into the science it is today, and to perpetuating the memory and spirit of those who flew in the defense of our country and freedom throughout the world. The Texas Aviation Hall of Fame is a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit educational museum.

FMI: www.lsfm.org