Answer: A Sense Of History

When you think of Hannibal (MO), you think of Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and the writer who created them, Mark Twain. But if you know much about aviation, another name comes to mind: aviation pioneer William P. Lear.

The city's Airport Commission recommended this week that Hannibal Municipal Airport be renamed for the man who invented the Learjet, the first low-cost, mass-produced business jet aircraft in the world. The Hannibal City Council will take up the recommendation on Tuesday.

"As we've been looking at the reconstruction and redevelopment of the airport, it seemed to be an appropriate time to recognize ... a person with a direct connection to Hannibal, that had such a tremendous influence in aviation," said John Grossmeier, an airport commission member. "Everybody knows William Lear, from the Lear jet fame, but few people know that he has this Hannibal connection."

Honoring An Aviation Pioneer

Lear, born in Hannibal on June 26, 1902, dropped out of school after the eighth grade while living in Chicago. While he is best known for developing the jet plane that bears his name, he was an accomplished inventor who obtained more than 150 patents before his death in 1978.

Lear joined the Navy at 16 and after World War I he became a pilot. He started his first company, Quincy Radio Laboratory, in 1922, and is credited with developing the first practical car radio, which he sold to what was to become Motorola Corp. In the 1930s he designed a radio amplifier that he sold to RCA, and expanded into aircraft navigation equipment. His inventions also included an aeronautical radio compass and an automatic pilot system.

Turn The Prop And Crank Up Three Dog Night

Later, Lear became involved in the development of commercial jet aircraft, as well as the eight-track tape player system, which he invented for use in his aircraft.

New Sign Of The Times

Dedication of the airfield will be on Sunday, May 18, as part of an open house at the airport. The Airport Commission plans a new sign at the airport, "to make sure that other pilots, when they come in, know that they are landing at a little piece of history here in the Hannibal area," chairman Gary Holland said.

Folks in Hannibal are also talking about establishing a museum to call attention to the various accomplishments of Lear. "We'd like to actually pursue this, and we've got the area for it," Holland said.

FMI: www.nemodev.org