Hall of Fame
The Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame began in 1990. It preceded the opening of the Iowa Aviation Museum, home of the Hall of Fame.
Nominations to the Hall of Fame are accepted until February 1st of each year. A selection committee, appointed by the Museum's Board of Directors, evaluates the nominations on a point system. A permanent tribute for each Hall of Fame inductee is featured at the Museum. The Museum is the only place in Iowa which focuses on the state's aviation heritage.
If you have a nomination for the Hall of Fame, please download the application and send it to the Iowa Aviation Museum.
Russell and Dolly Zangger have owned, financed and operated Zangger Airfield on the family farm in Larchwood, Iowa since 1949. The airport boasts four runways, 24-hour service and the first airpark in Iowa featuring five homes with direct private hangar…
Read More
Hartley A. Westbrook was born January 29, 1919 near Letts, Iowa. While attending what is now known as the University of Northern Iowa, he took initial flight training from John and Bite Livingston. He completed his training after joining the…
Read More
Charles W. Gatschet was born in Salina, Kansas, December 4, 1896. He joined the U.S. Army’s pilot training in 1917. He instructed aviation cadets before going to France as a Signal Corps pilot. In 1919, he built and flew his…
Read More
Clifton P. “Ole†Oleson was born in McGregor, Iowa, in September, 1899. His fifty year flying career took him to friendly and unfriendly skies around the world, but always brought him back to Iowa. A born flyer, he was obsessed…
Read More
Rear Admiral Harold Blaine “Min†Miller, was born January 4, 1903, in Newton, Iowa. In his early teens he moved to Murphy, Iowa, to live with his grandparents on the family farm. Harold moved to California while he was still…
Read More
Born in Brooklyn, Iowa, Avery Ladd, worked and flew for Midwest Aviation Corporation of Omaha, Nebraska. He qualified for federal aircraft and engine license and also transport license in 1930. He was an instructor and a charter pilot for the…
Read More
Born in Talmage, Iowa on October 22, 1930, Elvin F. Knotts grew up in the Afton and Creston area. In 1951, Elvin joined the United States Air Force. He had a varied career which included being a radar operator, radar…
Read More
Robert W. Williams was born in Ottumwa, Iowa on September 21, 1922. His father became a pilot and encouraged his sons to learn. They became three of the total 102 black pilots in the United States at that time. When…
Read More
Born November 8, 1922 on a farm two miles south of Deloit, Iowa, in Crawford County, Charles Fink was introduced to flying as a teenager. He picked corn by hand to earn money for flying lessons, soloing on March 22,…
Read More
Donald A. Luscombe was born in Iowa City on May 25, 1895. Early in his life, he showed an interest in promoting, writing and advertising. In the spring of 1917, he volunteered during World War I to be an ambulance…
Read More