Hunter Blackwell III

Hunter Blackwell, III, age 72, of San Antonio, TX, died on Sunday, May 11, 2003. Hunter Blackie was born in Alabama and grew up in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. He was a naval officer and aviator carrier based fighter pilot. He graduated from North Carolina State University, then worked at Cessna Aircraft Company as Engineering and Production Test Pilot. He moved to Edo Corporation as Chief of Flight Test; then moved to Helio Aircraft Corporation as Chief Test Pilot. He worked at Fairchild Aircraft Corporation as Project Test Pilot; then Dee Howard Company as Chief of Flight Test. He moved to SAAB-Fairchild as Fairchild Chief Test Pilot, then to Fairchild San Antonio as Manager of Flight Test and Aerodynamics, and later as Director of Airworthiness. He worked as a Flight Test Consultant providing technical assistance for developmental and certification flight-test. He also worked for Sino-Swearingen Aircraft as Engineering Test Pilot. He was a designated engineering representative for the Federal Aviation Administration until March 13, 2001. He was a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity. He loved his family, wildlife, and flying. He is survived by his wife, Frances Blackwell; daughters, Valerie Blackwell Luce and husband Dennis, and Amanda Blackwell Simmons and husband Eddy; grandchildren, Nathan Hunter Blackwell Simmons, Josiah Simmons, Seth Simmons, Micah Simmons and Miles Luce. He is also survived by several nieces and their families. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National Aviation Museum Foundation, 1750 Radford Blvd, Ste B, P.O. Box 33104, NAS Pensacola, FL 32508, or International Mission Board, P.O. Box 6767, Richmond, VA 23230, or Wildlife Rescue and Rehab, P.O. Box 1157, Boerne, TX 78006.