The National Aviation Hall of Fame announced its class of enshrinees for 2019, naming six individuals to the prestigious club, two of whom will be familiar to readers of Flying magazine. Our own contributing editors John and Martha King join a diverse group of pilots who have contributed greatly to aviation in their own ways.
The class of 2019 includes: Col. Guion “Guy” S. Bluford, USAF (Ret.), a Ph.D. aerospace engineer, fighter pilot, decorated Vietnam veteran, instructor pilot, NASA Group 8, mission specialist on four Space Shuttle missions; The late Col. Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, USMC, Congressional Medal of Honor Awardee, Flying Tiger combat pilot and flight leader, World War II fighter ace, CO of the Black Sheep Squadron, World War II POW; Brig. Gen. Charles M. Duke, Jr., USAF (Ret.), a test pilot, NASA Group 5, CAPCOM Apollo 11, LMP Apollo 16, 10th person to walk on the moon; Martha and John King, founders of King Schools and 40-year veterans of aviation instruction, pioneers of multimedia training programs that have instructed more than half the pilots in the U.S. flying now; and the late Katherine Stinson, the fourth female in the U.S. to earn a pilot’s certificate, founder of the Stinson School of Flying in 1915, first woman to carry airmail and exhibition circuit pilot who set multiple distance and endurance records.
Each year, the NAHF Board of Nominations, a voting body comprised of more than 120 aviation professionals nationwide, selects from a group of previously nominated air and space pioneers to be recognized for their achievements with induction into the NAHF. Since its founding in 1962, 241 men and women have been honored with enshrinement into the Congressionally chartered, non-profit National Aviation Hall of Fame based in Dayton, Ohio.
The 2019 enshrinement ceremony will be held at the Wings Over the Rockies aviation museum in Denver on Saturday, September 28, 2019. Visit nationalaviation.org for more information.
