"Each Has Made A Unique Contribution To The World Of Flight"

Eight people who contributed greatly to the world of flight are being honored by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) as the newest members of the EAA-affiliated Halls of Fame. The group will be inducted on Friday, Nov. 5, during a program at the EAA Aviation Center at Oshkosh.

Bob Whittier and the late Pete Bowers are being inducted into the EAA Homebuilders' Hall of Fame; Betty Stewart and the late Dorothy Hester are becoming the newest members of the International Aerobatic Club (IAC) Hall of Fame, while Howard Pardue joins those in the EAA Warbirds of America Hall of Fame. In addition, Espie "Butch" Joyce is joining the Vintage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame, while the EAA Ultralight Hall of Fame is inducting both Klaus Hill and Bert Howland posthumously.

"Each of these eight people has made a unique contribution to the world of flight," said EAA President Tom Poberezny. "Those of us active in aviation today recognize their commitment and passion for flying. These inductees represent the best that recreational aviation has to offer and serve as an example for everyone involved in flying. We are honored to welcome them as our newest inductees to the EAA Halls of Fame."

Members of EAA and EAA Divisions nominated the inductees. The final selection was made by the Board of Directors of each group. Nominees were considered for their contributions to the history, development and growth of a particular facet of sport aviation. The IAC Hall of Fame was founded in 1987, while the Homebuilders' Hall of Fame was founded in 1993 and the Warbirds of America Hall of Fame in 1995. The Vintage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame was created in 1993, while 1999 was the inaugural year for the Ultralight Hall of Fame.

EAA Halls Of Fame 2004 Inductees

Homebuilders' Hall Of Fame

Pete Bowers: Bowers (EAA #977, right), who passed away in April 2003, was a Boeing engineer and an EAA member since the 1950s. In 1962, his "Fly Baby II" design won an EAA aircraft design contest and became extremely popular. The airplane's simple design led to extensive innovation and evolution by later builders. Bowers also wrote hundreds of aviation articles over the last half-century.

Bob Whittier: Whittier (EAA# 1235) is a mainstay of EAA's publications. Despite a childhood illness that robbed him of his hearing, he authored 2,500 articles and 10 books on a wide range of topics. Whittier began writing for the original Experimenter magazine (now EAA Sport Aviation) in the 1950s and still contributes to EAA Sport Pilot & Light-Sport Aircraft magazine.

Vintage Aircraft Association Hall Of Fame

Espie "Butch" Joyce: Joyce (EAA #19740) began his involvement with aviation at age 10 and after serving in the US Army's Green Berets, began an interest in vintage aircraft. He became an advisor to the then-EAA Antique/Classic Division in 1981 and was elected president of the group in 1988, establishing a vintage aircraft insurance plan and nearly tripling the group's membership during his 16-year tenure as president.

International Aerobatic Club Hall Of Fame

Betty Stewart: Stewart (EAA #77573), of Moscow, Idaho, was a member of the 1976, 1980 and 1982 US aerobatic teams. In 1980, she won three individual gold medals and the women's World Aerobatic Champion title, and repeated the feat in 1982 while helping the US win the team silver medal. Stewart continues to support grass roots aerobatics in both powered aircraft and gliders as a judge and coach to aerobatic competitors.

Dorothy Hester: Hester, who died in 1991, was the unchallenged top female aerobatic pilot of the 1930s. She became the first woman pilot to perform an outside loop and once did an amazing 69 outside loops continuously without a break. Hester was traveling the national air show circuit by age 20 and set a record by performing 56 continuous inverted snap rolls. In 1948 (at age 38), became the first woman to take the US Navy's "G-test," the forerunner to tests given to the first astronauts.

Ultralight Hall Of Fame

Klaus Hill: Hill, who died in 1979, was a pioneer in ultralight flight as the designer of the Sailwing glider, the basis for the Twin Boomer and Delight Wing in the 1970s. His designs also included the Hummer and Humbug soon followed. The Hummer, at the time one of the few ultralights in existence, received the best workmanship award at EAA Oshkosh 1978.

Bert Howland: Howland, who passed away in 1995, made his mark in aviation in the 1980s. He developed such designs as the H-1 "Meteor," H-2 "Honey Bee," H-3 "Pegasus" and H-4 "Chimp" in the mid- to late 1980s. Howland also offered kits of the H-2 and H-3, while developing the two-place H-5 "Gemini." He also turned to creating ultralight "warbird" replicas in the 1990s.

Warbirds Hall Of Fame

Howard Pardue: Pardue (EAA #127179) has logged 14,000 flight hours in 120 different types of aircraft over 50 years of flying. He flew more than a dozen types of aircraft as a military pilot, then turned to warbird air show flying and competing at the National Championship Air Races. Pardue also showed his passion for military aircraft by founding the Breckenridge Aviation Museum in Texas.

FMI: www.eaa.org