"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.