A Roll Call Of A Few Of Those We Lost This Past Year

John Gillespie Magee, Jr wrote:

"Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds, --and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of --Wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air... Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace Where never lark or even eagle flew -- And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God."

Here we honor those whom we have lost this past year.

January

WWII Fighter Pilot William Overstreet Jr.

A WWII P-51 pilot who became famous for flying his airplane through the arches of the Eiffel Tower in pursuit of a German Messerschmitt Bf-109G during the war passed away last week in Roanoke, VA. William Overstreet Jr. was 92 years old.

Tuskegee Airman James Bowman

Tuskegee Airman James Bowman passed away near Pittsburgh, PA Monday at the age of 91. Bowman trained and served with the famed unit, rising to the rank of warrant officer, but never saw combat.

NASAO President Henry Ogrodzinski

The National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) announced that Henry M. Ogrodzinski, President and CEO for the last 18 years died Wednesday, January 22.  Henry’s two year battle with cancer came to an end at his home on Capitol Hill at the age of 65.

EAA Founding Member Leo Kohn

Another person closely linked with EAA's history and growth passed away earlier this month. Leo Kohn (EAA 4), (pictured)  one of EAA's founding members, died on Friday, January 17, at the age of 87.

Tuskegee Airman Earl Rudisill

Another of the famed Tuskegee Airmen has gone west. Earl Rudisill passed away last Thursday in Columbus, OH, at the age of 97.

March

Rostislav Belyakov, Designer Of MiG Jets

The man called the chief designer of MiG fighter jets passed away at the age of 94.

Former ICAO Council President Assad Kotaite

Dr. Assad Kotaite, member and former council president to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), passed away on Feb. 27 at age 89. Kotaite joined ICAO in 1953 as a member of the Legal Committee, and served as Lebanon's council representative from 1956 to 1962, and again from 1965 until July 1970. He also held the positions of chairman of the Air Transport Committee; second vice president of the ICAO Council; member and vice chairman of the ICAO Finance Committee; and chairman of the Working Group on ICAO Financial Regulations.

April

NASA Engineer John C. Houbolt

"In the space race of the 1950s and '60s, the leading voices were rocket scientist Wernher von Braun and ... another guy. Household names included Neil Armstrong, Alan Shepard and ... oh, you know, the fellow who pushed the idea of a separate crew capsule and lunar lander. America wouldn't have won the race, the Eagle wouldn't have landed in 1969 and the Apollo 13 crew would never have survived if it weren't for an engineer from [the] NASA Langley Research Center. John C. Houbolt. (pictured)"

May

Congressman Jim Oberstar

A major player in aero-politics has gone west. 18 term Minnesota Congressman, Jim Oberstar, 79, passed away due to unknown causes.

US Army Air Corps Pilot James Goodson

One of the United State's top aces from WWII passed away May 1 at the age of 93.

Former Langley Center Director Edgar Cortright

Long before Edgar Cortright joined the NACA or became Langley Center Director or even graduated elementary school, he planned a career in aviation. "I always knew, from about age five on, what I wanted to be, because my father flew in World War I. I used to put his uniform on as a little kid, and I decided I wanted to be in aviation," Cortright said in an oral history interview conducted in 1998. He fulfilled that dream and more. Cortright's career spanned, not only some of the most ground-breaking years of aviation in the U.S., but all the early days of robotic and human space exploration.

Renowned NASA Research Pilot William H. Dana

One of the nation’s most respected aerospace pioneers has passed away. Distinguished research pilot and aeronautical engineer William Harvey Dana (pictured) died on May 6, 2014 after a lengthy illness.

Former NATA, ACSF Chairman Jim Christiansen

The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF), NAGA, and the NBAA were saddened to learn of the passing of Jim Christiansen.

SyberJet SJ30 Designer Ed Swearingen

SyberJet Aircraft (SJA) is saddened by the passing of Ed Swearingen - designer of the SJ30, aviation legend, and friend to many in the aviation world. Mr. Swearingen passed away on Thursday, May 15th due to complications from hip surgery that were compounded by Parkinson’s disease.  As creator and developer of the original SJ30 with his longtime friend Sam Williams of Williams International, Mr. Swearingen helped to define the light jet market in the late 1980s.  Mr. Swearingen’s career spanned much of the 20th century, from his humble beginnings as a mechanic to awards from the NBAA and induction into the Living Legends of Aviation and the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame.

Gone West, Test Pilot J.F. ‘Skeets’ Coleman

J.F. “Skeets” Coleman, who was the test pilot of one of the oddest military airplanes ever produced, passed away at age 95 of natural causes. He is remembered in the world of aviation test flying as the man who flew the Convair XFY-1 Pogo. It was a vertical-takeoff-and-landing airplane featured on the cover of the 1990 book “The World’s Worst Aircraft.”

June

Legendary Airshow Pilot Mira Slovak

Mira Slovak succumbed to cancer at age 84, and there are a lot of us in aviation that feel the loss. A pioneer of airshow performances in various airplanes, he hasn’t been on the circuit for quite a few years and his name may not be at the top of your list for airshow performers… but it should be.

Pilot Denny Fitch

The pilot who happened to be aboard United Flight 232 and helped its flight crew crash-land the airplane in Sioux City, IA has Gone West at the age of 69.

July

Southwest Airlines Co-Founder Rollin King

Texas businessman Rollin King, one of the co-founders of Southwest Airlines, passed away Friday in Dallas at the age of 83.

Space Pioneer Fred Ordway

Frederick Ordway III, a world-renowned space scientist and author, passed away Tuesday, July 1, 2014, in Huntsville, AL. Ordway is best known for his work as a technical adviser on the film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. He is also noted for his work with Dr. Wernher von Braun on the Apollo program at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

Louis Zamperini

The man chosen to be the Grand Marshal of the 2015 Rose Parade has sadly Gone West before being able to ride in the parade. (pictured)

NASA Astronaut Hank Hartsfield

Former NASA astronaut Henry W. (Hank) Hartsfield Jr., who served as commander of space shuttle Discovery's maiden mission and flew on three shuttle flights, died on July 17 after an illness. He was 80 years old.

August

Enola Gay Navigator Theodore VanKirk

Theodore "Dutch" VanKirk, who was the last surviving member of the Enola Gay crew which dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, has Gone West at the age of 93.

Sport Aviation Legend, Wayne Ison

One of the sport aviation world's most respected SportPlane designers has gone west. Known primarily for the mini-Max and related series of aircraft, Wayne Ison (pictured here in a screengrab from his EAA Timeless Voices Interview) passed away August 9th, 2014. Wayne was one of the good guys... an honest man... and a flyer who knew what a good solid basic aircraft could do for the SportPlane industry... and that's just what he built.

Air Force Medal Of Honor Recipient Col. Bernard Fisher (Ret.)

Airmen past and present mourn the loss of a fellow Airman and a true American hero.

Former NASA Astronaut Steven Nagel

Former NASA astronaut Steven R. Nagel, who served as a mission specialist on his first space shuttle flight, pilot on his second and commanded his final two, died Aug. 21 after a long illness. He was 67 years old.

September

Tuskegee Airman George Mitchell

The man who taught radio code to the Tuskegee Airmen passed away Thursday in San Diego. George Mitchell was 94 years old.

Past HAI chairman Vernon E. Albert

Past HAI chairman and former PHI vice president and chief pilot Vernon E. Albert passed away on September 11 after a long battle with cancer. He was 72.

Former PATCO President Bob Poli

Robert Poli, the man who was the leader of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) when more than 11,000 air traffic controllers were fired by President Ronald Reagan, passed away on September 15 at the age of 78.

October

Aviatrix Jerrie Mock

In 1964, Geraldine "Jerrie" Mock, an Ohio housewife, made aviation history when she became the first woman to fly solo around the world. Mock passed away at her home in Quincy, FL Tuesday at the age of 88. Her family said she had been in declining health for some time.

Rotorcraft Aerodynamic Engineer Ray Prouty

Rotorcraft aerodynamics pioneer and former member of the American Helicopter Society (AHS) Board of Directors Ray Prouty passed away on September 26. He was 88.

Wings Of Mercy Founder Peter VandenBosch

Wings of Mercy Founder Peter VandenBosch died last week at the age of 91, according to the organization. Peter had recently experienced a significant decline after enjoying many years of good health.

November

Evergreen Aviation Founder Delford Smith

The founder of the Evergreen Aviation companies, which included the Evergreen Air and Space Museum in McMinnville, OR, has passed away.

December

Tuskegee Airmen Gerald Adwin Dupre Sr., Lowell Steward

We learned late this month of the passing of two more Tuskegee Airmen during the month of December.

FMI: www.aero-news.net