Four illustrious pilots will be enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) for 2013. The inductees include Charles Alfred Anderson; Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady; Captain Robert “Hoot” Gibson; and Dwane Wallace, who will be honored at a black tie dinner. Anderson and Wallace will be inducted posthumously.
Charles Anderson is called “the father of African-American aviation,” having served as chief instructor for the Tuskegee Airmen in Alabama. Gen. Brady pioneered helicopter air ambulance tactics in Vietnam, where he served in combat. Hoot Gibson (USN-retired) served as commander on four space shuttle missions, as well as a test pilot and fighter pilot. He is also well known and respected as a civilian race pilot and champion of general aviation. Dwane Wallace, Clyde Cessna’s nephew, is credited with making Cessna Aircraft a major force in postwar general aviation. By developing the line of high-wing trainers and personal aircraft, he was responsible for overseeing the highest production rates in general aviation history.
The gala induction ceremony will be October 4 at the NAHF’s Learning Center adjacent to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. The event is open to the public with, tickets available from the NAHF.
