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Aviation Legend John Miller Dead at 102

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Captain Johnny Miller, a self-taught aviation pioneer whose career began with barnstorming, has passed away at 102.
  • His remarkable flying career encompassed diverse roles, including airmail pilot, record-setter in an autogiro, test pilot, military aviator, and jet airline pilot.
  • Miller remained active in aviation into his late 90s, flying his own plane and regularly contributing to the American Bonanza Society magazine.
  • Born just two years after the Wright Brothers' first flight, he was honored with a 100th birthday gala at Kitty Hawk.
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Captain Johnny Miller, a self-taught pilot whose flying career began with barnstorming during aviation’s golden age, has died at 102. Miller flew his own Beech Bonanza throughout the country up until a few years ago. Over his career, he flew the airmail, set a transcontinental record in a Pitcairn autogiro, competed in air races, served as a test pilot, flew for the U.S. Marine Corps and as a jet airline pilot. For years, Miller wrote a regular column in the American Bonanza Society monthly magazine, and a compilation of those stories is available through ABS at bonanza.org. Born in December 1905, two years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight, Miller attended a gala at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in honor of his 100th birthday in 2005.

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