The NAHF honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the betterment of aviation. 

Founded 35 years ago, Garmin was one of the first companies to develop a suite of avionics to provide better communication and navigation options. The company is known for its communication and navigation products found in everything from flight school training aircraft up through business jets.

“Gary Burrell and Min Kao founded Garmin with the strong belief that superior navigation and communications products could enrich and even save people’s lives,” Cliff Pemble, Garmin president and CEO, said in a statement. “To truly honor their pioneering work and the foundation they laid for Garmin’s acclaimed products, there is no greater tribute than seeing them inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.”

Kao serves Garmin as executive chairman of the board. Burrell, who died in 2019, was posthumously inducted.

Under their leadership, Garmin developed multiple technologies and applications designed to enhance aviation safety and aircraft capabilities.

A timeline of noteworthy products includes:

• 1991: Garmin’s first aviation product, the GPS 100AVD, is regarded by many as the first panel-mounted GPS navigator accessible to the GA community.
• 1994: The Garmin GPS 155 became the first certified GPS receiver to achieve FAA TSO-C129 Class A certification for instrument approaches. The unit enabled pilots to fly IFR without the use of ground-based navigation aids.
• 1998: The GNS 430 and GNS 530 product family was developed. The mounted GPS navigator, combined with a color moving map, VHF navigation and communication, became the industry standard.
• 2004: G1000-integrated flight deck introduced glass cockpit technology to single-engine piston aircraft widely used in the training market, while also serving the business jet fleet.
• 2010: Garmin introduced its Electronic Stability and Protection System (ESP), the first in a series designed to help pilots avoid loss-of-control accidents.
• 2020: Garmin received the Robert J. Collier Trophy for Garmin Autoland, the first certified autonomous system that when activated during an emergency—such as pilot incapacitation—controls and lands an aircraft without human intervention.

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The award recognizes Weihs for his “innovative spirit, commitment to safety, and service to the aviation community,” the NAHF said. Many pilots are using ForeFlight every day who would agree that the platform represents a game-changer in general aviation.

• READ MORE: Astronaut, Aviation Pioneers Inducted into NAHF Class of 2023

“This award publicly acknowledges Tyson’s dedication to leadership in promoting aviation and the values of innovation, integrity, and service,” explained NAHF president and CEO Aimee Maruyama. “Tyson’s story is an inspiration for future generations of aviation innovators and entrepreneurs.”

ForeFlight has become a standard part of the flight bag for many pilots by combining airport information, search functions, and aviation weather imagery. The company was purchased by Boeing in March 2019.

“Receiving the Armstrong Award is deeply humbling,” Weihs said. “I am truly honored to be part of the distinguished legacy of aviation, and I believe this award underscores the limitless possibilities that aviation holds for those who dare to dream and push boundaries.”

• READ MORE: NAHF Releases Free STEAM Curriculum for Grades 1-6

“Not only has Tyson left an indelible mark on aviation by co-founding ForeFlight,” said NAHF chair Jim Cooling. “He is also a valuable member of the aviation community, giving generously with his leadership, time, and expertise to support numerous aviation organizations.”

Weihs will receive the award on September 21, 2023, at the President’s Reception as part of the National Aviation Hall of Fame’s 59th Enshrinement events. More than 600 people are expected to attend, as are several returning Enshrinees, including former NASA astronauts Charlie Bolden, Eileen Collins, Bob Crippen, and Hoot Gibson, aviation visionary Joan Sullivan Garrett, general aviation titans Dale Klapmeier and Russ Meyer, and world champion aerobatic pilot Sean D. Tucker.

The NAHF Enshrinee Class of 2023 includes Velta Benn, Cornelius Coffey, Angela Gittens, Ed Stimpson, Fred Haise, and Kathryn Sullivan.

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The NAHF, founded in 1962, is the only Congressionally chartered aviation hall of fame in the United States. Each year, the NAHF Board of Nominations, a body of more than 130 aviation professionals nationwide, select class members from the world of aviation and aerospace. The selectees are drawn from air and space pioneers, both living and posthumously. Thus far 254 people have been honored.

The Class of 2023 is composed of both living and posthumous inductees.

(The late) Velta Benn

Benn is an aviation pioneer who began as a Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP), class 44-W-7, and went on to fly for more than 63 years, amassing 55,000 flying hours as a CFI, FAA examiner, and safety expert. In 1983 she was inducted into the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame. Benn flew West in December 2010 at the age of 93.

(The late) Cornelius Coffey

Coffey is an aviation pioneer who, despite many racial barriers, became a pilot and mechanic. He opened a flight school that trained more than 1,500 students, including hundreds of Tuskegee Airmen. In the 1930s, Coffey was an automobile mechanic who dreamed of becoming a pilot. In 1931 he brought together a group of black air enthusiasts to study at the Curtiss-Wright Aeronautical School. Segregation at the time excluded them from local airports, so local aviators of color built their own facility in Robbins, Illinois, and the Coffery School of Aeronautics was born. Coffey’s school was one those selected in World Was II for the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP).

(The late) Ed Stimpson

Stimpson was a founding member of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), an organization he led for many years. He was also the U.S. representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the chairman of the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF).

In 1994, when the general aviation industry was floundering because of lawsuits targeting aircraft manufacturers, Stimpson helped champion the General Aviation Revitalization Act (GARA), which was credited with helping revive the industry by limiting manufacturers’ product liability to 18 years.

Angela Gittens

Gittens is known for her work with Airport Council International (ACI) World. Gittens has been the Director General of ACI World since 2008. She was formerly airport CEO for Miami and Atlanta and Deputy at San Francisco International Airport, where she helped shape airport security and policy.

Fred Haise

Haise joined the aviation world in 1952 as a naval aviation cadet. He served as a U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot from 1954-1956 and later became a test pilot for NASA. Haise was selected for the manned space program in 1966. In 1970, Haise was the Lunar Module Pilot for the Apollo 13 mission in which the intended moon landing was canceled because of a rupture in a fuel-cell oxygen tank. Haise was also part of the space shuttle program then went on to an executive position with the Northrop Grumman Corporation. Haise is also an author; his book, Never Panic Early, an Apollo 13 Astronauts Journey, was released in hardcover in April of this year.

Elon Musk

Musk is an entrepreneur and leader in the commercial aerospace. Musk is the founder of SpaceX, the first private company to put crewed spacecraft into orbit and dock with the International Space Station. Musk is known as a major influencer in the technology and aerospace industry.

NAHF Board of Nominations Chair Tom Lodge revealed the Class of 2023 at the 2022 Enshrinement Dinner and Ceremony in Dayton, Ohio.

“We believe that this is an excellent class and we are already looking forward to their induction in Washington, D.C.,” Lodge said. “From pioneers Benn and Coffey to visionaries Gittens, Stimpson, and Musk, and to aerospace hero Haise, the NAHF’s Class of 2023 represents the best in aviation. We applaud the Board of Nominations for their challenging and thorough work.”

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Their goal: To transform the historic Port Columbus Airport terminal and control tower, opened in 1929, into the Ohio Air & Space (OAS) Hall of Fame and Learning Center.   

“Ohio Air & Space will be an education force multiplier for all ages,” says Ron Kaplan, the executive director of the nonprofit 501(c)3 organization leading the project. “OAS will serve as a clearinghouse for Ohio youth education and collegiate aviation programs, providing a direct connection to our aerospace and technology industry partners that are committed to developing their future workforce.” 

OAS has already formed some key partnerships toward this effort, including The Ohio State University, Youth Aviation Adventure, the Buckeye Tigers, a local FAA ACE Academy sponsored by the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, NetJets, and Flight Safety International. As the facility gets closer to becoming reality, Kaplan says he looks to partner with educational institutions across the state. 

Living Aviation History

The art-deco-style Old Port Columbus terminal was home to the first scheduled coast-to-coast airline passenger service: Transcontinental Air Transport’s (TAT) Lindbergh Line, according to Robert F. Kirk, author of Flying the Lindbergh Line and The Building of an Airport: Port Columbus. The airline flew passengers from New York to Glendale, California, using Ford Tri-motors and a unique rail-to-air-to-rail-to-air route.

“The deeper you dig, the more amazing its history becomes,” Kaplan says. “On dedication day, Amelia Earhart was there and Henry Ford was there and Edsel was there. It’s like a who’s who of the era. Amelia worked for TAT…in a technical capacity. But Lindbergh was like their technical adviser and actually mapped out the route and thus picked that site, which became Port Columbus.” 

Kaplan says trains were integrated into the cross-country route for two reasons: Overnight flying was dangerous at the time; and “the train industry was, of course, wary of aviation taking their business, so including them was useful to fundraising the airline.” The TAT route eastward consisted of New York to Columbus, Ohio, by train; and Columbus to Indianapolis, to St. Louis, Missouri, to Kansas City to Wichita, Kansas, to Waynoka, Oklahoma, by airplane. Then, Waynoka to Clovis, New Mexico, by train; Clovis to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Winslow, Arizona, to Kingman, Arizona, to Glendale, California, by airplane. “[It took] 48 hours!” Kaplan says.

TAT was ultimately absorbed by Maddux Air Lines, which eventually became TWA. When it opens, the hall of fame and learning center’s exhibits will include a display chronicling the history and evolution of Port Columbus. OAS already has a number of artifacts, thanks to the late Don Peters, a TWA captain and aviation history buff who donated his holdings to OAS, including his uniforms. “He also gave us some images, some amazing aerial shots of Port Columbus in the ‘30s and early ‘40s,” Kaplan says. 

The former director of enshrinement and outreach for the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio, Kaplan says OAS will enrich science and technical learning with the stories of Ohio’s aviation and space pioneers, such as the Wright brothers; astronauts Neil Armstrong and John Glenn; Jerrie Mock, the first woman to fly around the world; and the Tuskegee Airmen, which were based at Rickenbacker Air Force Base—to name a few. 

In his book about the building of Port Columbus, Robert Kirk writes that it took “brave, intelligent, far sighted individuals to push the limits of imagination, machines, human stamina, and vision…to build a great airport with a successful design for people and machines of flight.” 

Creating the hall of fame and learning center that will ultimately occupy this historic building will take a similar effort, according to Kaplan. 

Transforming a Landmark

Old Port Columbus was abandoned as an air terminal in 1958, when the then-new Columbus International Airport (KCMH)—named for John Glenn in 2016—was built. Since that time, the facility, which is operated by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, was mostly used for office space by various businesses, Kaplan says. Today, it sits on the southeast corner of the KCMH property—outside the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) perimeter. 

Touring the historic terminal in 2014, Kaplan, says he was astonished at what he saw. “I had to put on booties and a mask to tour it, it was such an environmental disaster,” he says, owing to a failing roof and black mold throughout the building. In 2015, the terminal was listed as an “endangered” Columbus landmark. Thankfully, a community fundraising effort helped stabilize it in 2016. “They raised enough money to put a new roof on…they had a company come in and essentially gut the building down to the bare walls, floors, and ceilings of concrete tile,” Kaplan says.

A Columbus native, Kaplan remembers the building from earlier days. “I have a history with that building,” he says. “I was in there in 1991, awaiting a ride on the Collings Foundation B-24.” At the time, Ed Gillespie, a former chief test pilot for North American Aviation turned aviation consultant, was leasing the building for office space. As Kaplan waited for his ride on the restored aircraft, he sat next to two Tuskegee Airmen in the control tower, which had been converted to a lounge. “For that barnstorming event, it was open and being used by people waiting on their rides,” he says. He learned later that the two Tuskegee Airmen were  Alex Boudreaux, the first African-American commercial air traffic controller—whose first commercial job as a controller was in that same tower—and Capt. Harold Sawyer, who flew 130 combat missions and scored two victories during World War II. Both have now passed away.

Four years ago, Kaplan was thrust headfirst into the renovation project. Aware of previous attempts to save the terminal and tower, he says he felt it was important that the building serve the aviation community and not become the home of a “pest control company…or a microbrewery.” 

Kaplan had just left his long-term contract working for the National Aviation Hall of Fame when then Ohio Speaker of the House Cliff Rosenberger, who was a big fan of aviation history, asked to meet with him. “He wanted to know what my plans were…one thing I mentioned was that the [Port Columbus] terminal was at risk but that they had stabilized it and it was an historic site that the state should get involved in saving,” Kaplan recalls. “A couple weeks later, I got a text from the speaker…and he said how much money do you need for the Ohio Air and Space Hall of Fame.” 

Kaplan wasn’t a stakeholder in the project at the time, but he quickly became one. That year, 2018, the state provided a $550,000 grant for the renovation of the terminal building, and the OAS effort was officially born.  

A New Vision for Old Port Columbus

Kaplan and the OAS’s nine-member board of directors are now fundraising to turn the empty building into a state-dedicated space to honor Ohio’s aviation history. The OAS will announce later this week a $275,000 grant from the city of Columbus to support the renovation project and the nonprofit’s workforce development efforts, Kaplan says, adding that the organization is now “within striking distance with enough money to start phase one.” 

He says donors and aviation enthusiasts from all over the country have stepped up to support the project. One such donor, Margi (Marsh) Bauer—who grew up in Columbus but who now lives in central California—says the terminal building is a treasure worth saving. Visiting the area a few years ago for a high school reunion, she says she drove around the area reminiscing. “Along the way, I drove past the old original air terminal. And I remembered it. It had slipped from my memory a little bit….I thought, oh my gosh, I just couldn’t remember how beautiful this art deco building is.”

Bauer’s family’s home was a close neighbor to the airport and, consequently, it left an indelible mark on her. “Growing up in Columbus where there are no oceans or mountains or fun things to do, really, the family entertainment was to go out to the airport in the afternoon or after dinner and watch planes come in and out….We just loved flying and the airports,” she says. 

When Bauer, who is a board member for the Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles, California, heard about the formation of the OAS Hall of Fame and Learning Center and the future plans for the Old Port Columbus terminal, she was all in.

“This is something after my own heart,” she says. 

Kaplan says several of the project’s donors have similar stories, and others just want to see the rare example of 1920s art deco architecture preserved.

OAS already has design plans. A three-story building with 3,300 square feet per floor, the ground level will be dedicated to the hall of fame exhibits; it will also serve as an event venue and will include a staging area for catering services, Kaplan says. The second floor will serve as a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) learning space, where aviation education groups can meet and local school children can participate in hands-on learning projects. The basement will be used for offices, storage, and archives. 

Broken into two construction phases that will total roughly $4 million, the project’s first phase will include all new plumbing, electric, and mechanicals—and will build out the ground floor for the hall of fame exhibits, a welcome center, and a gift shop. An elevator will also be installed—which is a major undertaking in an historic building, Kaplan says. Upon the completion of phase one, he says the hall of fame will open, as fundraising and construction continues on phase two—the renovation of the top floor (the STEAM learning center) and the basement. 

Kaplan is especially excited about the OAS’s corporate partnerships with NetJets and Flight Safety International, the latter which will help to source, maintain, and present simulators that will be accessible to the general public on the main exhibit floor and used for training students in the learning center. He’s also excited about the economic impact the facility will have. “We will employ over a dozen people and, of course, serve as a catalyst for very important workforce development activities, specifically in the aviation, aerospace, and technology industries.

“My friends in the aviation industry are virtually screaming for help as they struggle to fill positions; these kids are going somewhere and doing something for a living; to be able to attract and point them to rewarding careers in aviation—not just as pilots—would be rewarding to me.” 

For more information visit the OAS website.

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Starting in 2020, the National Aviation Hall of Fame partnered with a trusted name in early childhood education, ThinkTV/PBS, to create an aviation and aerospace-led, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math)-based curriculum for grades 1 through 3.

The program, called “Discovering Flight: Learning with the National Aviation Hall of Fame,” includes in-person tutelage at the NAHF Heritage Hall & Education Center as well as remote learning opportunities.

The NAHF and its partners intend to complete the first phase in Fall 2021 and, as they distribute the curriculum for free in under-resourced schools, they plan to begin Phase 2 for grades 4 through 6. Phase 2 will focus on sustainability technology in aviation and aerospace.

“It is our goal to expose and ignite the aviation and aerospace workforce of tomorrow,” said NAHF president and CEO Amy Spowart. “Today, we will do it in the classroom by teachers who are supported every step of the way through a pipeline connecting our early curriculum with the middle and high school programs already available.

Three Key Facets

Discovering Flight consists of three key initiatives so far:

• ”Learning with Will and Orv” is a multidisciplinary curriculum for grades 1 to 3 of standards-aligned videos, interactives, and lesson plans. The program uses the Wright Brothers (“Will and Orv”) as informal guides to the lessons within the curriculum as they meet up with other famous aerospace leaders from throughout history to deliver entertaining and educational experiences for the classroom.
• The Junior Collier Award Program is a collaborative effort between the NAHF, the National Air and Space Museum (NASM), and the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) to invite students to develop a concept or idea inspired by a Collier-Trophy-winning technology. The challenge will involve education and community organizations whose focus is on traditionally underserved and under-resourced communities.
• ”Why I Fly” is a web-based video series produced along with filmmakers Adam and Karen White, of Hemlock Films. “The team at Hemlock is developing a series of short videos (each two to three minutes in length) to share via social media, partner websites, and other targeted venues,” said the NAHF on its site. “Each short will feature an individual who is engaged in an aspect of aviation or aerospace. The people featured are intriguing, relatable, and do not seek exposure. They show the humanity of aviation and embody the fact that the field is attainable.”

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The pandemic certainly took a toll on almost every event in the US and around the world including the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF). The organization cancelled last year’s induction ceremony and recently decided to pass on 2021′s as well. But NAHF trustee Phil Roberts took a bold step a few weeks ago to ensure the 2020 enshrinees would not be forgotten. Roberts made a formal motion at a May 15 board meeting in Dayton: “That the Class of 2020 be recognized as enshrinees of the NAHF as of September 30, 2020. And that each of these individuals is afforded the choice of a future NAHF function to be presented and ceremoniously enshrined at the earliest possible time that is mutually convenient to the NAHF and the individual.”

The NAHF said in a news release, “Enshrinement draws the best in aviation. Included in the annual dinner and ceremony are aviation legends, American heroes, industry leaders, corporate sponsors, elected officials, and lifelong NAHF members. The event has hosted such notables as John Travolta, Harrison Ford, Miles O’Brien, and Dennis Quaid and welcomed many aviation legends like Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Jackie Cochran, Eileen Collins, and Dick Rutan. The Class of 2020 is now recognized among those ranks.”

Inductees for 2020 include:

*The late Second Lieutenant Eugene J. Bullard, USAF/WWI pilot; First African American combat pilot. Denied in the U.S., Ballard flew for France, and is one of the highest decorated pilots including the Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur.

*The late Dr. Maxime “Max” A. Faget, Ph.D. a mechanical engineer. Faget developed rockets, missiles, and aircraft, designed the Mercury spacecraft and was part of the design team for Gemini, Apollo, and the Space Shuttle.

*Ms. Joan Sullivan Garrett Founder of MedAire. She established the first aviation global medical emergency response and directs real-time safety services to thousands annually throughout aviation.

*The late Captain Richard “Dick” F. Gordon, USN. Gordon was a Naval aviator, test pilot, Bendix Trophy winner, Gemini 11 pilot, Command Module Pilot for Apollo 12 and Back-up Commander for that flight and part of the design team for the Space Shuttle.

*Dr. Paul G. Kaminski, Col. USAF (Ret.), Ph.D. Aero & Astro Engineer. Kaminski led technical aerospace programs including those for guided munitions, reconnaissance satellites and stealth technology including F-117. He also served as Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Technology.

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Boom Technologies recently asked readers if they could name the first woman to pilot an airplane faster than the speed of sound, or the first woman to win a national air race.

“As part of Women’s History Month, Boom teamed up with the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) to spotlight six barrier-breaking women and bring their stories forward. These aviators broke barriers of gender, class, race—and sound—and made an indelible contribution to aviation and the world we live in,” the Boom story said. Highlighted were Bessie Coleman, Harriet Quimby, Louise Thaden, Jackie Cochran, Patty Wagstaff and Joan Sullivan. The NAHF provided bios on each of the six, excerpted in the blog post—portions of which we have summarized for you here.

“Bessie Coleman was the first civilian licensed African-American pilot and the first Native American woman pilot. Today, she’s inspiring a new generation. Bessie Coleman ignited a love of aviation in millions around the world. Born in 1892, Coleman was also known for breaking barriers outside the cockpit. Throughout her career, she would only perform at air exhibitions if the crowd was desegregated and permitted to enter through the same gates. Coleman’s ultimate goal was to establish a flying school for African Americans. Her dream became a reality when William J. Powell established the Bessie Coleman Aero Club in LA in 1929.”

“At a time when women’s roles were limited, Harriet Quimby was climbing into a cockpit as well as working as a journalist writing about the new experience of flight. Quimby became the first American woman to earn a pilot’s license—the 37th license ever issued—on August 1, 1911. Her first published account of flying included detailed instruction on how ‘ladies might wish to dress for an airborne excursion.’ It also outlined the mechanics of the aircraft, the equipment, and its quirks…On April 16, 1912, Quimby’s fame reached its zenith as she climbed into her Bleriot biplane and headed out over the white cliffs of Dover in search of a safe landing in Calais, France. Her flight across the English Channel was a resounding success.”

“Record-setting pilot Louise Thaden’s legacy includes the triple crown of aviation: altitude, speed and endurance records.” She was also the first woman to win the Women’s Air Derby (the first women-only cross-country air race) as part of the 1929 National Air Races. “Between 1929 and 1936, women were barred from entering air races,” said the blog post. Thaden said in her 1938 book High, Wide, and Frightened, “There is a decided prejudice on the part of the general public against being piloted by a woman, and as great an aversion, partially because of this, by executives of those companies whose activities require employing pilots.”

“When racing reopened to women, Thaden didn’t allow much time to pass before entering another competition. She won the Bendix Transcontinental Air Race in 1936 with co-pilot Blanche Noyes, the first time that women were allowed in the competition. Thaden and Noyes, who flew in a Beech Staggerwing C17R, were first to cross the finish line and the first women to win the race. Their victory set a new East-to-West record of 14 hours, 54 minutes. Thaden received the Harmon Trophy as the ‘outstanding woman pilot in the US’ for this accomplishment.”

“In 1932, Jackie Cochran earned her pilot’s license in just three weeks” while working as a cosmetics saleswoman. “From that moment on, breaking barriers in aviation became her life.” She was the first woman to pilot a bomber across the Atlantic Ocean, receive the Distinguished Service Medal, break the sound barrier, take off and land from an aircraft carrier, attain a flying speed of 842 mph and serve as President of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. “As a force behind—and wartime head—of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), she led more than 1,000 civilian women who ferried planes from factories to port cities. Her plan was to “free a man to fight” by ferrying aircraft, towing targets or flying in other non-combat capacities. Following the war, she received the Distinguished Service Medal for her service.”

“On May 18, 1953 Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier, flying an F-86 Sabre past Mach 1 at Edwards Air Force Base. On that same day, Cochran flew the same airplane— accompanied by then Maj. Charles Yeager in his chase plane—over the Edwards low-level course, setting a new speed record [of] 652.337 miles per hour, receiving one of her five Harmon Aviatrix Trophies for the effort. She went on to set a world speed record of 1,429 mph (2,300 km/h) in 1964 and no fewer than eight speed records in 1967. At the time of her death, Cochran held more speed, altitude, and distance records than anyone in the world, male or female.”

“As the first woman to win the US National Aerobatic Championships, Patty Wagstaff has pushed the limits of aerobatic flight. To those who question her abilities because she is a woman she responds, “Do you think the airplane knows or cares?” Wagstaff has earned worldwide recognition flying low-level aerobatic routines before millions of spectators.” Wagstaff won the US Nationals three times, three years in a row.

“Wagstaff flies as a stunt pilot for films and television, and she coaches other aerobatic pilots. She also provides transition training for airline and military pilots into warbirds, instructing in T-28s and T-6s. Wagstaff’s advice for aspiring girls and women in aviation? ‘Don’t be afraid to ask for advice from women who have gone before you, and find allies that will help you achieve your goals.’”

“Medical response pioneer Joan Sullivan Garrett made aviation history saving lives as founder of MedAire, the first aviation global medical emergency response company. Garrett pioneered the use of advanced aviation-safety solutions to provide critical-care medical response to people in remote locales, and was instrumental in raising standards for medical equipment required to be carried on aircraft. ‘My passion is providing medical care,’ explained Garrett. ‘When I saw a medical helicopter arrive at a trauma scene…that’s when I fell in love with aviation. Soon after, I found a need in aviation that let me live my passion.’ Insights provided by Garrett and MedAire, based on assisting in hundreds of thousands of in-flight medical events, were instrumental in the decision by the US Congress to require AEDs (automated external defibrillators) on all commercial airlines.”

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The National Aviation Hall of Fame on April 28 reported the passing of former Gemini 7 astronaut Major General Michael Collins USAF (Ret.) at age 90. Collins’ family reports via social media that Collins “passed away today, after a valiant battle with cancer.” Collins, a NAHF enshrine, was better known as the Command Module Pilot on the Apollo 11 mission that allowed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to become the first humans to set foot on the Moon. Mike Collins created the flight’s iconic Apollo 11 mission patch and also served as the first director of the National Air and Space Museum.

The NAHF said, “Having been inspired by John Glenn’s extraordinary Earth orbit aboard the Friendship 7, USAF test pilot Michael Collins decided to become an astronaut. He applied but was not initially selected. He persevered, and after completing the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards, Collins, in 1963, was among the third group of 14 astronauts selected for training.”

The lesser known Collins story, also reported by the NAHF, is that by the early 1970s, America had become excited and proud of the successes in space and there was a renewed interest in the (now named) National Air & Space Museum (NASM). Commander Michael Collins, inspired and supported by Barry Goldwater, ardently lobbied for funding and gained political momentum, and eventually, support. After persuasive petitioning by several influential leaders including Collins, $40 million was allocated for construction. Billed as ‘America’s Birthday present to itself,’ Collins’ challenge was the construction of the facility during the era of ‘Low-Cost Alternatives.’ The tight budget and building constraint made for a formidable leadership contest…The Smithsonian’s then-newest museum was opened on July 1, 1976, by President Gerald Ford [and became] an extraordinary success, receiving one million visitors during its first month and 10 million in the first year…Michael Collins remained as the director of the National Air & Space Museum until 1978.” Collins received the National Aeronautics Association’s Wright Brothers Trophy presented in a banquet dinner hosted by the Washington Aero Club in December 2019.

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Each week, Flying receives dozens of news releases pitching us a new product or service, or informing us of an important upcoming event. Every so often we see one that makes us stop and think about the people that make the aviation industry work, such as the story we received on March 23 from the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton. It perfectly captured the personality of one very special aviation woman, Alice Griffin.

“Every Saturday morning, volunteer Alice Griffin begins her shift at the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) with a crossword puzzle in hand and a coffee cup nearby,” said the release. “Quick to smile, and clearly a center of energy for the four folks she shares the morning with, it’s hard to believe that Alice will celebrate her 100th birthday on March 28 of this year. She is witty and spry and enjoys imparting wisdom to those who engage her.” In fact, when she was asked if she had any words of wisdom to share, Griffin said, “Work hard, don’t take anything for granted, and give ten percent of your salary to charity.”

The release continued: “At 100 years old, Alice has seen a lot. Surprisingly, when asked what the most interesting thing she has encountered during life, the almost centenarian said with a chuckle, ‘What we’re living in right now,’ in reference to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alice has an extensive history of volunteering in the Dayton community and has accumulated 2,000 hours of volunteer time over 20 years at the NAHF alone. She said, ‘I enjoy volunteering at the National Aviation Hall of Fame because I get to talk to people, have conversations about where they are from, and what brought them here.’”

Griffin, one of 12 children, went to school in Omaha, Nebraska, to become a teletype operator before moving to Dayton in 1943 to work at (then) Wright Field, now Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Her first job as a teletype operator there netted her a whopping $1,440 annually.

NAHF president and CEO Amy Spowart said, “Alice, like our Enshrinees, is humble and talented. She shares the knowledge of a sage and speaks to all with kindness and grace. And Alice makes the best peanut brittle in the world. We are so very lucky to have her among our ranks.” Inquiries about Alice’s peanut brittle may be sent through the NAHF.

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