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.
Born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1920, Luther Smith became a WWII hero and an aerospace engineer who made significant advances in aviation. Luther was introduced to flying at the age of 13 while riding in a Ford Tri-Motor. On…
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No one has been a champion of antique airplane owners like Robert Taylor of Blakesburg. Since he established the Antique Airplane Association in 1953 he has provided a place and a purpose to fly, to preserve, to share and to…
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A Denison, Iowa native, Clarence Chamberlin made flying history more than once in his lifetime. He was born, raised and educated in Denison and attended Iowa State College in Ames. His interest in things mechanical lead him to challenge the…
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Born on November 9, 1897, on a Grundy County, Iowa farm, Clayton Folkerts was a self-taught designer, builder and pilot of early airplanes. Experimenting with designs and materials found on the family farm, Clayton constructed five home-built aircraft from 1916…
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Born on February 22, 1914, in Dow City, Iowa, Louis “Andy†Anderson turned his airplane hobby as a youngster into a lifetime devoted to flying. After moving to Denison with his family, Andy purchased a partially completed glider. With ingenuity,…
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Nellie Vos Ruby was born on a farm near Galesburg, Iowa on November 16, 1919. With only an eighth grade education she has worked her whole adult life in aviation. She was the first Iowa woman to receive an A…
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Lt. General Charles Horner was born, raised and educated in Iowa. On October 19, 1936, General Horner was born in Davenport then lived 14 years in Centerville and next moved to Des Moines where he graduated from Urbandale High School…
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Neta Snook was born on February 14, 1896, in Illinois but during her teens moved to Ames, Iowa with her family. Growing up her father interested Neta in driving, automobiles, things mechanical and fostered an ability to fix and make…
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Born in Goldfield, Iowa in 1902, Sidney saw his first airplane when he was nine years old and was learning to fly before he graduated from high school. His life’s work centered around aviation. Until he was 36 years old,…
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“Bite†was born on February 8, 1903, in Cedar Falls, Iowa where he still resides. He was 23 years old before he learned to fly and at the age of 88, he was still flying and promoting aviation. Throughout his…
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