Very rarely do pilots visit an airport to see a particular hangar—unless there is something unique and striking about it, such as a large mural that honors a notable aviator with local ties. That may soon be the case at Auburn Municipal Airport-Dick Scobee Field (S50) in Auburn, Washington, south of Seattle, as recently a mural honoring space shuttle commander Dick Scobee was unveiled. Scobee was born in Washington and, in 1957, graduated from nearby Auburn High School.
Scobee, an Air Force test pilot, engineer, and astronaut, was the pilot on the space shuttle Challenger’s last flight in 1986. The Challenger exploded 73 seconds after takeoff, killing all seven crew members. In the years that followed, there were several honorifics granted in honor of the crew. In 2004, they were named to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame and the airport was renamed Auburn Municipal Airport-Dick Scobee Field.
