Aviation Pioneers

In honor of those who have made outstanding contributions to Kansas aviation, the Kansas Department of Aviation through the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) had realized years ago, that a function be created to recognize individuals who played a major role in the contribution and development of Kansas Aviation. […]

Lacy will join a group of four celebrated individuals to be inducted into the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame […]

Throughout the course of history in the development of the aircraft, the test pilot has always been the Lone-Eagle in the cockpit. […]

The beefy, bespectacled inventor was in shirt-sleeves, thrashing out a design problem with one of his Learjet engineers. […]

James “Jabby” Jabara (October 10, 1923 – November 17, 1966) was the second-highest-scoring U.S. ace of the Korean War. He was the first American jet ace in history. […]

Second Lt. Erwin R. Bleckley, a U.S. Army Air Service observer, and his pilot rose above the call of duty, flying close to the tree tops over enemy positions entrenched with rattling machine guns during two attempts to help save more than 500 American Soldiers who were completely surrounded. […]

Maj. Gen. Joe Henry Engle (U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard) was born in Dickinson County, Kan., on Aug. 26, 1932. After attending grade school in Chapman, Kan., and graduating from Dickinson County High School, he went to the University of Kansas, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering in 1955. […]

John Herschel Glenn Jr. (born July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio) is a former astronaut who became the third person and first American to orbit the Earth, and later, United States Senator. […]

Aviation legend Lee Atwood — who was instrumental in designing the P-51 Mustang; the F-100, world’s first operational supersonic jet fighter; the X-15 rocket plane; and the Apollo Command Module that took astronauts to the moon — died on March 5, 1999, at the age of 94. […]

Brigadier General Paul W. Tibbets, Jr, Pilot of the “Enola Gay” B-29, Headed Up B-47 Program at Boeing-Wichita! […]