Black Sheep Squadron
The National Aviation Hall of Fame has announced it will enshrine six aviators in a ceremony this September in Denver, Colorado. The NAHF Class of 2019 is a diverse group representing Americans who made enduring contributions to both the advancement of flight and the exploration of space. The new inductees are Colonel Guion “Guy” S. Bluford, USAF (Ret), who served as a fighter pilot in Vietnam, and later flew on four Space Shuttle flights as a mission specialist; Brigadier General Charles M. Duke, Jr., USAF (Ret), who served as capsule communicator on the Apollo 11 mission and was the 10th person to walk on the Moon, with Apollo 16; and Martha and John King, well known in the general aviation world, who have been CFIs for 40 years and are recognized by the NAHF as “revolutionary pioneers of multimedia training programs that have instructed more than half the pilots now flying in the U.S.”
The Hall of Fame also will induct two pilots well known to history—Colonel Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, USMC, fighter ace and leader of the famous “Black Sheep Squadron” of World War II; and Katherine Stinson, founder of the Stinson School of Flying in 1915. She was also the fourthwoman in the U.S. to earn a pilot’s certificate and the first to carry airmail. The Hall of Fame was chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1964, with a mission to honor America’s aerospace legends to inspire future leaders. The nonprofit group is based in Dayton, Ohio, where it operates a 17,000 square-foot public learning center. Since its founding, 241 men and women have been enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
