We Lost Some Famous Pilots, Some Heroes, Some Industry Leaders, And One Rogue During The Year

This is certainly the least favorite of the recaps we do at the end of the year … remembering those who have "slipped the surly bonds of Earth." What follows is a partial list of those notable aviators who were lost during 2013.

January

Douglas C. Roach
Douglas C. Roach, the first recipient of Civil Air Patrol’s highest cadet award, the General Carl A. Spaatz Award, died Jan. 11 at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., from complications related to cancer. He was 70.

Dr. Clifford Turen
Dr. Clifford H. Turen, a prominent orthopedic trauma surgeon in the Dover, Delaware area was killed when the single engine Piper PA-28a Cherokee he was piloting went down in a wooded strip along a farm field just east of Dover.

February

AFA Founding Member Edith Lauterbach
The Association of flight attendants-CWA (AFA) issued a statement after the passing of AFA's last remaining founding member, Edith Edna Lauterbach.

B-26 Pilot Jim Muri 
The pilot of one of four B-26 bombers that took off from Midway Island to help turn back an invading Japanese fleet in 1942 passed away in Billings, MT. James Muri was 93.

March

Deacon Billy J. Ellis 
Deacon Billy J. Ellis, a retired USAF Major General who flew combat missions in Korea and Vietnam, as well as a tour with the Thunderbirds, passed away March 12th at the age of 84 in Charleston, SC.

Former Army Colonel Robert McDaniel
The Army helicopter pilot-turned-consultant who was recognized as one of the most vocal opponents of the Army's Comanche helicopter project in the 1980s passed away in a hospital in Alexandria, VA. Col. Robert L. McDaniel (Ret.) was 88.

Tom Griffin 
And then there were four. Tom Griffin, who until his death was one of five surviving members of the Doolittle Raiders, passed away at the Fort Thomas VA hospital in Cincinnati, OH.

April

Osvil 'Ozzie' York 
The Twirly Birds notes the passing of longtime member, Mr. Osvil "Ozzie" York in Tulsa, Oklahoma following a brief illness. Mr. York was 92 years old and had recently driven from his home in Oklahoma to attend the annual meeting of the Twirly Birds held during the HAI Heli-Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada.

June

Dayton AirShow Accident Claims Two Airshow Performers
The 2013 Dayton International Airshow has been the scene of a tragedy for a much favored wing-walker and her pilot. Jane Wicker and Charlie Schwenker were reported dead after a performance.

AEA Board Secretary Chuck Freeland 
The Aircraft Electronics Association was deeply saddened by the passing of Chuck Freeland, a regional sales representative for Otto Instrument Service and an AEA member company located in Ontario, CA.

Aviation Entrepreneur/Innovator, Ed Iacobucci 
History favors the victors in the game of life... but a man who gave it his all and should have succeeded in one amazing aviation venture (if not for an economic downturn), deserves more than a passing aero-mention as his life has ended.

WWII Vet Passes Away Waiting For Honor Flight 
At 91 years old, Walter Smith, a veteran of WWII, was looking forward to taking an honor flight to Washington DC to see the change of guard ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Four years ago, he had been diagnosed with colon cancer, and the trip from his home in Wisconsin to the nation's capital had been a motivation for him to work hard on his rehabilitation, according to his family.

Roscoe D. Morton
Roscoe D. Morton, who was well known as the Chairman of the Announcers for EAA at AirVenture and Sun 'N' Fun in Lakeland, FL, passed away at his home in Frostproof, FL. He was 81 years old.

Boca Raton Airport Manager Ken Day
The manager of Boca Raton Airport (KBCT) in Florida passed away at Boca Raton Regional Hospital where he had been admitted for an "undisclosed illness."

July

Two Fatally Injured In 'Less Drag' Accident In Oxnard, CA
An accident involving a modified Vans airplane belonging to James Ayres, president of Less Drag Products in Newbury Park, CA, fatally injured Ayres and his passenger, identified as Donald "Craig" Templeton of Agoura Hills.

Tuskegee Airman Paul Adams 
Another of the renowned Tuskegee Airmen has gone west. Paul Adams, who had joined the Army after graduating from South Carolina State University, passed away in Lincoln, NE at the age of 92.

Col. George 'Bud' Day 
Air Force Colonel (Ret) George E. "Bud" Day passed away in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. He was 88 years old.

August

Last Original Blue Angel Al Taddeo 
The last of the original Blue Angels, Cdr. Al Taddeo, passed away August 19 at the age of 94.

End Of An Era... Paul Poberezny Goes West
...someone who has meant so much to those of us who love aviation, personally and professionally, has left us... but so much better off than we can express. EAA Founder Paul Poberezny passed away at the age of 91 on August 22.

September

VAA Board Member Jeanne Hill
Jeannie C. Hill (Lehman) passed away on September 1, 2013 after a courageous battle with cancer.  She is preceded in death by her beloved husband Richard (Dick) Hill.

Breezy Co-Creator Carl Unger
Carl Unger, whose unique Breezy aircraft provided many thousands of flights to people over the past half-century, passed away at his home in Oak Lawn, Illinois. He was 82.

October

Tuskegee Airman John Suggs 
Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. (Ret) John J. Suggs passed away at the age of 98. Suggs had flown 70 combat missions as a pilot for the iconic unit during WWII, and had continued his Air Force career through the Korean and Vietnam wars.

The Long Sad, Tragic Story Is Over: David Riggs' Remains ID'ed
The remains of David G Riggs, a multiply convicted felon, con-man and errant pilot were pulled from a Chinese lake by a dive and recovery team and identified as the illicit airman.

November

Former NBAA Chairman E.E. Dunsworth 
NBAA marked the passing of former chairman E.E. “Dunny” Dunsworth, who served on the Association’s Board of Directors from 1964 to 1973, and as board chairman from 1969 to 1971. Dunsworth passed away on Nov. 8 at age 88.

WASP Dora Dougherty Strother McKeown
Dora Dougherty Strother McKeown, PhD., Lt. Col, Res, Retired passed away November 19. She had made a career of aviation, being accepted into the WASP program during WWII.

Model Airplane Craftsman Franklin Robert 'Bud' Nosen
Our friends at Lee Bottom Flying Field in southern Indiana posted in the blog NORDO News that Franklin Robert 'Bud' Nosen, who is credited in the model airplane community with bringing large-scale model airplanes "to the masses," passed away on at Solvay Hospice House in Duluth, MN.

December

Former King Radio President Robert Tye Cox
Honeywell  posted on its Facebook page that former King Radio President Robert Tye (R.T.) Cox passed away December 13, 2013, at the age of 96.

Tuskegee Airman William Booker
Another of the famed Tuskegee Airmen has passed away. William L. Booker died in a nursing home in Kirkland, WA of complications from Parkinson's disease at the age on 90, according to his family.

Korean War-Era Pilot Kenneth Schechter
His Skyraider had been hit. Fragments of the airplane had pierced his eyes. And somehow, Navy pilot Ensign Kenneth Schechter managed to land his crippled airplane at a remote Army dirt strip in Korea, guided by his best friend on the USS Valley Forge; Lt. j.g. Howard Thayer. Schechter lost his right eye, but lived until December 11th, when he passed away from prostate cancer at the age of 83.

Nadezhda Popova
One of Russia's woman pilots who flew ag planes converted into bombers during WWII passed away at the age of 91.

FMI: www.aero-news.net