Jon McBride (1943–2024), NASA astronaut and space shuttle pilot 

Jon McBride was a NASA astronaut, test pilot, and space shuttle pilot who flew the first-ever mission with seven people on board.

Vic Seixas (1923–2024), mid-century tennis champ

Vic Seixas was a champion tennis player who won 15 Grand Slam titles and took victory in men’s singles at Wimbledon in 1953. 

William Anders (1933–2024), astronaut who took Earthrise photo

William Anders was an astronaut who orbited the moon on Apollo 8 and took the iconic “Earthrise” photograph from space.

Clarence “Bud” Anderson (1922–2024), last surviving WWII triple ace

Clarence “Bud” Anderson was a celebrated U.S. Air Force pilot who was the last surviving triple ace of WWII and the highest scoring P-51 Mustang pilot in his squadron.

Dick Rutan (1938–2024), first pilot to fly non-stop around the world

Dick Rutan was a pilot who, in 1986, became one of the first two pilots to circumnavigate the globe in a non-stop flight without refueling.

Richard Truly (1937–2024), former astronaut who led NASA

Richard Truly was an astronaut and vice admiral in the U.S. Navy who became the first former astronaut to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was head of NASA when the famous “Pale Blue Dot” photo was captured.

Bill Hayes (1925–2024), Doug Williams on Days of Our Lives

Bill Hayes was a singer who scored a number one hit in 1955 with “The Ballad of Davy Crockett,” then went on to play recurring character Doug Williams on the TV soap “Days of Our Lives” for over 50 years.

Lt. Col. Bob Pardo (1934–2023), daring aviator known for Pardo's Push

Bob Pardo was an aviator and military fighter pilot whose efforts to get his wingman’s heavily damaged Phantom fighter jet out of enemy airspace over Vietnam became known as Pardo’s Push.0

Frank Borman (1928–2023), commander of historic Apollo 8 mission

Frank Borman was an astronaut who commanded Apollo 8, the first mission to fly around the moon. 

Ken Mattingly (1936–2023), astronaut who assisted Apollo 13 from Earth

Ken Mattingly was an aviator and astronaut who took part in three Apollo missions, including a ground role during the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission.

Beverly Willis (1928–2023), pioneering female architect

Beverly Willis was a pioneering architect whose influence helped break gender norms in the industry, co-founding the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., and designing a number of notable landmarks. 

Raymond Cassagnol (1920–2023), Tuskegee Airman from Haiti 

Raymond Cassagnol was a veteran of the Haitian Air Corps who trained with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. 

Jim Tweto (1954–2023), Flying Wild Alaska star 

Jim Tweto was a bush pilot who starred in the Discovery Channel reality series “Flying Wild Alaska.”

Treat Williams (1951–2023), star of Hair, Everwood

Treat Williams was an actor known for starring roles in such movies and TV shows as “Hair,” “Deep Rising,” and “Everwood.”

Brian Shul (1948–2023), celebrated aviator and SR-71 pilot 

Brian Shul was a Vietnam-era attack pilot who barely survived being shot down, only to come back as a celebrated SR-71 pilot before becoming an acclaimed public speaker and photographer. 

Stuart Hodes (1924–2023), dancer in the Martha Graham Dance Company

Stuart Hodes was a dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, who went on to dance on Broadway and television.

Harold Brown (1924–2023), U.S. Air Force officer, Tuskegee Airman

Harold Brown was a U.S. Air Force veteran who flew missions in World War II and the Korean War. He was one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, the group of primarily Black pilots who earned an outstanding combat record despite military segregation.

Jean Landis (1918–2022), World War II WASP pilot

Jean Landis served with the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II, flying crucial non-combat missions.

Colonel Joseph Kittinger (1928–2022), pioneering aviation hero

Colonel Joseph Kittinger was a retired Air Force command pilot who set a record in 1960 for the longest freefall skydive.

Dean “Diz” Laird (1921–2022), World War II flying ace

Dean “Diz” Laird was the only World War II U.S. Navy pilot to shoot down both German and Japanese planes.

John Billings (1923–2022), WWII spy pilot

John Billings was a U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II who flew Allied spies behind enemy lines for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS).

Gail Halvorsen (1920–2022), “Candy Bomber” in the Berlin airlift

Gail Halvorsen was a United States Air Force pilot known as the “Candy Bomber” for dropping candy over Berlin from his airplane during the Berlin airlift in 1948.

Robina Asti (1921–2021), WWII veteran and transgender advocate

Robina Asti was a World War II veteran who later became an inspiration to the transgender community as she fought for her husband’s Social Security benefits.

Robert Ashby (1926–2021), Tuskegee Airman who was the first Black pilot for Frontier Airlines

Robert Ashby was a U.S. Air Force veteran who served as a Tuskegee Airman during World War II before becoming the first Black pilot hired by Frontier Airlines.

Rhea Hurrle Allison Woltman (1928–2021), one of the first female astronaut candidates

Rhea Hurrle Allison Woltman was a pilot who was one of the Mercury 13, the women who were tested as potential astronaut candidates in the early 1960s.

Dorothy “Dot” Cole (1913–2021), oldest living U.S. Marine

Dorothy “Dot” Cole was a U.S. Marines veteran of World War II who was the oldest living Marine.

Chuck Yeager (1923–2020), first human to go faster than the speed of sound

Chuck Yeager was a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general who was the first human to break the sound barrier.

Gerald Carr (1932–2020), Skylab 4 commander

Gerald Carr was an astronaut who commandedc2Skylabc24c2in 1973, the final Skylabc2mission.c2

Emily Howell Warner (1939–2020), first female pilot for a U.S. commercial airline

Emily Howell Warner was a professional pilot who was the first woman hired by a U.S. commercial airline as a permanent pilot, in 1973.

Edward Feightner (1919–2020), World War II flying ace and Blue Angels pilot

Edward “Whitey” Feightner was a U.S. Navy officer who was a flying ace in World War II, with nine enemy aircraft shot down. He was also a test pilot, and he flew with the Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron.

Alfred Worden (1932–2020), astronaut orbited the moon

Alfred “Al" Worden orbited the moon as the command pilot for Apollo 15.TheformerNASA astronaut is one of only 24 people to have flown to the moon.During the 1971 mission, Worden orbited the earth many times as astronauts James Irwin andDavid Scott walked on the moon to explore the surface. He was the first human to do a deep space spacewalk. NASA selected Worden, a military pilot,as an astronaut in 1966.

Star Trek's Scotty, James Doohan, Was an Irish Canadian WWII Veteran With an Inspirational Legacy

Star Trek’s chief engineer, Montgomery Scott, may be the most famously Scottish person in all of pop culture. But here’s something fascinating:

Paul Farnes (1918–2020), last surviving WWII Battle of Britain flying ace

Paul Farnes was a fighter pilot for the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force, the last of the flying aces who fought the Battle of Britain during World War II. The fighter pilots who flew in the Battle of Britain were known as “The Few,” recalling Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s famous speech praising them: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” Farnes was a sergeant during the battle, later promoted several times until he was wing commander as the war ended, and his eight kills merited him the title of ace. Two other Battle of Britain fighter pilots survive, neither of them aces. In addition to the Battle of Britain, Farnes fought in the Battle of France as well as in North Africa.

Azellia White (1913–2019), pioneering Black female pilot

Pilot Azellia White (1913–2019)helped pave the way for black women in aviation. White trained in Tuskegee where her husband was stationed during World War II as a mechanic with the famed Tuskegee Airmen. She received her pilotfs license on March 26, 1946.

Barron Hilton (1927–2019), hotel heir and Los Angeles Chargers founder

Barron Hilton was the son of Conrad Hilton who took over the Hilton Hotels business and expanded it to include casinos. He was also a founding owner in the American Football League as the original owner of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Al Haynes (1931–2019), heroic pilot of United Flight 232

After engine and hydraulic failure, he helped guide his DC-10 to a miraculous emergency landing.

Dorothy Olsen (1916–2019), one of WWII's last surviving Women Airforce Service Pilots

Dorothy Olsen was one of the last surviving WASPs, women pilots who flew non-combat missions for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. The WASPs—Women Airforce Service Pilots—were stationed across the U.S., ferrying planes from factories to airbases, test-flying new and recently repaired planes, and training new pilots in order to free up male Army Air Forces members to fly combat missions. Olsen had earned her private pilot’s license after a childhood dreaming of flight, and she joined the WASPs in 1943, the year they were first established. She was one of just 1,074 women to complete the WASP training program. Though they were of vital importance to the war effort, the WASPs weren’t officially military, and their contributions went largely unrecognized for decades. It wasn’t until 1977 that they received veterans’ benefits, and in 2010 they were collectively presented the Congressional Gold Medal.

Grant Thompson (1980–2019), YouTube star known as “The King of Random”

Grant Thompson was a YouTube star known as the King of Random, whose science experiment videos attracted millions of viewers.

Robert Friend (1920–2019), one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen

One of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, Robert Friend directed the U.S. Air Force’s Project Blue Book investigating UFOs.

Jerrie Cobb (1931–2019), NASA’s first female astronaut candidate

A lifelong advocate for women flying and traveling to outer space.

Robert T. McDaniel (1923–2019), member of the Tuskegee Airmen

Robert T. McDaniel was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the elite African-American pilots who flew during World War II.

Rosemary Mariner (1953–2019), first female navy fighter pilot

First woman to command an operational air squadron.

A Historic Memorial Service: The U.S. Navy's First Ever All-Woman Flyover Tribute

"Missing Man" formation honors the late Captain Rosemary Mariner.

John Young (1930–2018), astronaut walked on the Moon

Legendary astronaut John Young walked on the moon and later commanded the first space shuttle flight.

Thomas Hudner Jr. (1924–2017), Navy pilot was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in the Korean War

Deliberately crash landed his plane attempting to rescue fellow pilot.

Richard Gordon (1929 – 2017), Apollo 12 astronaut

Flew around the moon for the Apollo 12 mission…

Remembering the Tuskegee Airmen (video)

On April 3, 1939, Congress passed a bill to fund the training of African-American military pilots. These pilots, trained in Tuskegee, Alabama, became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Before that time, racist policies in the segregated U.S. military had prevented African Americans from becoming pilots — in part because it would create new Black officers who would outrank white enlisted men. However, the outstanding record of the Tuskegee Airmen in combat during World War II proved there was no room for this kind of thinking in a modern war effort. In 1948, the military was racially integrated, and other institutions would follow. The Tuskegee Airmen fought for freedom in the skies of Europe and at home in the United States.

Eugene "Gene" Cernan (1934 - 2017), astronaut who walked on the Moon

Eugene "Gene" Cernan, the former NASA astronaut who remains the last human being to date to set foot on the surface of the moon, died Monday, Jan. 16, 2017.

Bob Hoover (1922 - 2016)

Robert A. "Bob" Hoover, a World War II fighter pilot who became an aviation legend for his skills as a test pilot and for his appearances in air shows, has died at age 94.