2013 National Hall of Fame Inductees Announced
Home of the legendary Wright Brothers, and widely considered to be the “birthplace of aviation”, Dayton is the perfect location for the National Aviation Hall of Fame…
Home of the legendary Wright Brothers, and widely considered to be the “birthplace of aviation”, Dayton is the perfect location for the National Aviation Hall of Fame – a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the pioneering and innovative people who have been behind the development of aviation in America. Situated at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the National Aviation Hall of Fame recently announced the names of the four individuals who will be joining the ranks of other inductees at the prestigious annual ceremony taking place in October 2013. They are Major General Patrick H. Brady, Captain Robert L. Gibson, the late Charles Alfred Anderson and the late Dwane L. Wallace.
Maj. Gen. Patrick H. Brady of the USAF (now retired) accrued a number of noteworthy achievements in his more than 34 years in the army. He developed tactical techniques for helicopter air ambulance rescue in combat and during his two Vietnam combat tours, Brady flew more than 2,500 missions and participated in the rescue of more than 5,000 wounded. As a highly decorated member of the armed forces, Brady’s service awards include the Distinguished Service Cross and the Medal of Honor.
Retired Capt. Robert L. “Hoot” Gibson flew combat in Southeast Asia as a Navy fighter pilot and was a flight test pilot before he joined NASA in 1978. Of his five Shuttle missions, he was Commander of four. As an aeronautical engineer Gibson was a member of the Challenger accident investigation team. In his aviation career Capt. Gibson has logged in excess of 14,000 hours in more than 130 types of aircraft.
Widely acknowledged as “the father of African-American aviation”, the late Charles Alfred Anderson played a major role in developing a civilian-pilot training program for blacks in 1940. His historical flight in 1941, with first lady Eleanor Roosevelt aboard, is considered to have been the stepping stone leading to the training of the Tuskegee Airmen, America’s first black military pilots, with Anderson as the chief instructor.
The late Dwane L. Wallace spent 41 years with the Cessna Aircraft Company before retiring in 1975 as the company’s Chairman and CEO. His dedication to the company was so strong that during the Great Depression, he used money he won by air racing to ensure employees were paid. Following WWII, Wallace directed the company’s development away from military into corporate and general aviation products, with much success. Wallace was also a founding member and the first chairman of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
The induction ceremony, referred to as “America’s Oscar Night of Aviation”, will take place at the National Aviation Hall of Fame Learning Center on Friday, October 4, 2013, and is open to the public, with advance reservations to be made with the NAHF.