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.
