Bob Hoover, Arnold Palmer, John Glenn, And Many Others Who Have Taken That Final Flight

This year, aviation lost several of its icons and biggest proponents. From Arnold Palmer, who credited GA with helping him successfully run a golf empire, to John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, and of course, Bob Hoover. We also lost many more of The Greatest Generation, including several of the storied Tuskegee Airmen. Here, we present the rollcall of those lost during 2016.

January

Concorde Test Pilot Andre Turcat 
The test pilot who first flew the Concorde supersonic jetliner, and the first to fly the airplane beyond the speed of sound, passed away at his home in southern France.

RAF Director Reade Genzlinger 
The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) reported that RAF Director, and friend Reade Genzlinger (pictured) was fatally injured in an aircraft accident near the Alpine, Wyoming airport.

February

Engineer Roger Boisjoly 
The engineer who tried to convince NASA to postpone the January 28, 1986 launch of Challenger that resulted in the loss of the spacecraft and seven astronauts has Gone West at the age of 73.

Apollo-Era Astronaut Edgar Mitchell 
Another of the small group of astronauts to have walked on the moon has Gone West. Apollo 14 Lunar Module pilot Edgar Mitchell passed away Thursday at a local hospice facility in Palm Beach, FL. He was 85 years old.

Air Force Pilot/POW Col. Fred Cherry 
An African-American Air Force Pilot who was shot down in 1965 and held as a POW in North Vietnam for seven years has Gone West at the age of 87.

Royal Navy Capt. Eric 'Winkle' Brown 
A man called "one of Britain's greatest airmen" has Gone West at the age of 97. Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown passed away on Sunday. He was the most decorated pilot in the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, according to a remembrance in the Edinburgh News.

March

Air Force Veteran Airport Manager Weston Ament 
A celebration of the life of Weston Ament, a WWII veteran and former manager of the Calaveras County Airport in California, will be held March 19th at the Calaveras County Airport.

WWII B-17 Pilot Basil Hackleman 
ANN has learned that Basil F. Hackleman of Springfield, MO ... a B-17 pilot during WWII ... has Gone West at the age of 94.

Pilot Daniel Murray 
A 1928 Curtiss Wright Travel Air 4000 went down Wednesday near Palmer Lake in El Paso County, CO resulting in the fatal injury of the two people on board the airplane.

WASP Elizabeth Strohfus 
One of the last remaining members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) has Gone West at the age of 96.

April

None

May

Japanese WWII Pilot Kaname Harada 
The man thought to be the last surviving Japanese pilot from the Pearl Harbor attack has Gone West at the age of 99.

UAL Pilot And Chicago Executive Airport Board Member Allan Englehardt 
ANN has learned of the passing of E. Allan Englehardt, 69, who died, May 9, 2016 at his home in Lake Bluff. He was born January 29, 1947 in Chicago and resided in Lake Bluff for the past 45 years.

Aerobatic Pilot Klein Gilhousen 
ANN has learned that Klein Gilhousen, a dedicated aerobatic pilot in both power and glider, and a former member of the IAC Board of Directors passed away on April 14th.

WWII B-17 Radioman Melvin Rector 
Another of the Greatest Generation has Gone West ... in a way that could have been written for a movie.

June

Former FAA Space Official Patricia Grace 
The former head of the FAA's commercial space transportation office passed away unexpectedly last week following a battle with pancreatic cancer.

CAP Col. Mary Feik 
The CAP has announced that Col. Mary S. Feik, the Civil Air Patrol icon and aviation pioneer who was especially renowned as a CAP ambassador devoted to the organization’s cadets, has passed away. She was 92.

Cessna Pilots Association Founder John Frank 
The Cessna Pilots' Association has notified ANN that John Frank, CPA co-owner and founder, passed away on Thursday, June 9th at his home in Santa Maria, CA.

Military Columnist And Author Robert Dorr 
The family of Robert F. Dorr, recognized as a master historian in the field of the U.S. military and its aircraft, announced that he had passed away at INOVA Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax, VA due to brain cancer. He was 76.

'Doolittle's Raiders' Tail Gunner/Engineer David Thatcher 
One of the last two airman from Doolittle's Raiders has Gone West. David Thatcher passed away at a hospital in Missoula, MT, where he lived. He was 94.

Aviation Education Leader Thomas Wathen 
ANN has learned that Tom Wathen, the founder of the Tom Wathen Center at Flabob Airport, has gone west.

July

None

August

API Founder Janice K. Barden 
The NBAA has marked the passing of Janice K. Barden, founder of Aviation Personnel International (API), who was well known for her many contributions to business aviation.

September

Joe Sutter, 'Father Of The 747' 

The man known as the "Father of the 747" has Gone West. Joe Sutter passed away Tuesday at the age of 95.

WWII Ace Jeremiah J. O'Keefe 
It's difficult enough to become an "Ace" ... a pilot credited with shooting down at least five enemy aircraft in combat. Even more amazing is reaching that milestone in a single mission.

Tuskegee Airman Dabney Montgomery 
Dabney Montgomery, a ground crewman with the Tuskegee Airmen in WWII, has Gone West at the age of 93.

Golfer And Aviation Advocate Arnold Palmer 
Even non-golfers know the name Arnold Palmer. He has been one of the icons of the game since the 1960s, and always considered a true gentleman and ambassador of the game of golf.

Tuskegee Airman Leo Gray 
Another of the storied Tuskegee Airmen has Gone West. Lt. Col. Leo Gray, one of the original members of the unit, passed away at his home in Coconut Creek, FL on Friday. He was 92.

October

Aviation Legend Bob Hoover 
ANN is deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of aviation legend R.A. "Bob" Hoover, who was often referred to as a "pilot's pilot." Hoover passed away early in the morning on Tuesday in a hospital near his home in Rancho Palos Verdes in California. He was 94 years old.

November

Tuskegee Airman Audley Coulthurst 
Another of the original Tuskegee Airmen has Gone West. Audley Coulthurst passed away at a VA facility in Brooklyn, NY. He was 92.

Tuskegee Airman Willie N. Rogers 
Another Tuskegee Airman has Gone West. Tampa, FL resident Willie N. Rogers passed away due to complications of a stroke, according to the Tampa Bay Times. He was 101-years-old, and at the time of his death the oldest surviving member of the unit.

December

XCOR Founding Member Loretta 'Aleta' Jackson DeLong 
One of the founding members of XCOR has Gone West. Loretta "Aleta" Jackson DeLong passed away Sunday due to complications from chemotherapy treatments for ovarian cancer. She was 68 years old.

Former Astronaut And U.S. Senator John Glenn 
The first American to orbit the Earth, and the oldest person to travel in space, has slipped into the history books. John Glenn, by any measure a true American hero and icon, passed away Thursday at the age of 95.

Royal Navy Swordfish Pilot Jock Moffat 
After the passing of legendary test pilot Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown early in the year, the Fleet Air Arm community now mourns for Lt Cdr John ‘Jock’ Moffat – the man credited with crippling the Bismarck.

FMI: www.aero-news.net