DAYTON, OHIO – The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) has announced that the 2012 inductees will be as follows:
• Geraldyn “Jerrie” Cobb, a record-setting pilot who learned to fly at age 12 and became the first and only woman to pass all of the Mercury astronaut selection tests. Cobb was nominated for a 1981 Nobel Prize for her pioneering humanitarian work in the Amazon jungle.
• Keith Ferris, known worldwide as the “Dean of American Aviation Art,” founded the American Society of Aviation Artists. He was also an expert and inventor of aircraft paint systems for military camouflage and high visibility purposes.
• The late Lt. Gen. Elwood R. “Pete” Quesada, USAF, helped develop and successfully demonstrate air-to-air refueling in 1929, served as first commander of the Tactical Air Command, and later helped establish and helmed the FAA.
• The late Richard T. Whitcomb was acclaimed as the most influential aeronautical researcher of his time. His revolutionary concepts include the Area Rule, Supercritical Airfoil, and Winglets that enable aircraft to fly faster and farther, while using less fuel.
The formal enshrinement ceremony, often referred to as “America’s Oscar Night of Aviation,” will take place in the Fall of 2012 (www.nationalaviation.org).