While we see another year off, at ANN we like to use this space to pay tribute to those in aerospace and aviation who will not be among us as we welcome in the New Year.

Some left us far too early; others lived long, healthy lives. But whatever the individual circumstances, we honor these folks for their courage, contributions, and prescience in the field of aerospace that bonds us all.

6 Jan 2006 -- Hugh Thompson: As a US Army pilot, Thompson was flying patrol during the Vietnam War on March 16, 1968, when he and his crew came upon American ground forces attacking civilians in a Vietnamese village. That village was called My Lai. After landing their helicopter between the troops and the fleeing civilians, they pointed their guns at their fellow troops to prevent more shots from being fired. ANN report 9 Jan 2006

6 Jan 2006 -- Eric Beard: The accomplished pilot of "Russian Thunder" (above) lost his life in an apparent weather-related accident in Skagit County, WA. Beard was flying for his day job with Airpac Airlines. He was the only person onboard. ANN report 8 Jan 2006

10 Jan 2006 -- Taryn Robinson: Twenty-two year old Air Force pilot Second Lieutenant Robinson had been severely burned in a September crash that claimed the life of her flying instructor. Robinson was the daughter of former Goodfellow AFB commanding officer Loci Robinson, and had been assigned to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio when she was injured. ANN report 13 Jan 2006

9 Feb 2006 -- Freddie Laker, 83: A pioneer of low cost airfare, Freddie's Laker Airways, 1966 to 1982, brought him fame, fortune, and knighthood... as well as bankruptcy and a British Civil Aviation Authority ban that forced Laker (below) into exile. ANN report 13 Feb 2006

20 Feb 2006 -- Darrell Wittke: Gyro pilot, former smoke jumper and Army paratrooper, Wittke was an active participant on the Rotary Wing Forum, an online spot for gyro pilots. He left his job and motorcycled from Montana to Louisiana to assist after Hurricane Katrina. ANN report 28 Feb 2006

27 Feb 2006 -- Robert L. Scott, 97: An Air Force officer perhaps best known for his autobiography, God is My Co-Pilot, about his exploits in WWII and the Flying Tigers and the Army Air Forces in China and Burma. Flying 388 combat missions in 925 hours from July 1942 to October 1943, -- and shooting down 13 Japanese aircraft, he became one of America's earliest fighter aces of the war. ANN report 28 Feb 2006

6 Mar 2006 -- Major General Kenneth L. Tallman: Served as Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's (ERAU) second full-time president from 1985-1991. Known as "The General," Tallman (right) brought athletics to the institution, introduced scholarships and expanded the university's course offerings to include engineering, physics, and computer science. Before ERAU, he served in Vietnam as General William Westmoreland's executive assistant, later becoming chief of staff for manpower and personnel for the Air Force. ANN report 10 Mar 2006

21 Mar 2006 -- Air show performer Nick Nilmeyer, 23: Nilmeyer had just wrapped up a practice routine, and was on approach to land at Metz Field in Greenfield, CA when his Extra 300 crashed about 20 feet off the runway. Another tough loss for the aerobatic community. ANN report 22 Mar 2006

26 Mar 2006 -- Angelo D'Arrigo: Known as the Birdman, the Italian pilot (left) died at an Italian airshow, when the Sky Arrow in which he was a passenger crashed. In 2001 D'Arrigo guided a migratory eagle over the Sahara desert and the Mediterranean Sea via hang-glider; he was also known for his flights over some of the world's tallest peaks, including when he stunned climbers on Mount Everest with his hang glider in 2004. He broke his own altitude record, flying nearly 30,000 feet over the Tupungato volcano in the Andean Cordillera, and maintained his kinship with birds, sponsoring the Condor Research Project. ANN report 27 Mar 2006

2 Apr 2006 -- Retired Chief Warrant Officer Mike Novosel, 83: Novosel flew B-29s and UH-1 helos in combat and was a Medal of Honor Recipient for a rescue mission as a medevac pilot with the 92nd Medical Detachment. ANN report 10 Apr 2006

8 Apr 2006 -- William Rowe: Former Helicopter Association International (HAI) president (1974) and chair (1975 and 1976) and lifetime member of HAI Board of Directors. ANN report 14 Apr 2006

19 Apr 2006 -- Legendary test pilot and engineer Scott Crossfield, 84: Perished in a GA accident. Crossfield (below) was the first man to fly at twice the speed of sound and worked as an aeronautical research pilot at Edwards AFB's High-Speed Flight Station, where he flew the X-1, X-4 and X-5 research planes and the experimental delta-winged Convair XF-92. It was his work with two Douglas research planes that made him famous; he was the first man to Mach 2 and nearly made a debatable Mach 3. ANN report 20 Apr 2006

20 Apr 2006 -- Stanley Hiller, Jr., entrepreneur, rotorcraft designer: United Helicopters and Hiller Aviation founder, Hiller was the noted designer of the first FAA certified helicopter, the Hiller 360, as well as many inventions, which are featured at the Hiller Aviation Museum. ANN report 25 Apr 2006

25 April 2006 -- Col. J.B. Swindal, 88: Veteran of WWII and the postwar Berlin Airlift, Swindal was aircraft commander for Air Force One when it carried the body of murdered President John F. Kennedy from Dallas to Washington on November 22, 1963. Prior to lift off, the oath of office was administered to Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson aboard the plane. He became President-elect Kennedy's personal pilot in 1960. ANN report 1 May 2006

16 May 2006 -- Heli-Hero James Phelan: Phelan (shown at right) was involved in the first helicopter combat rescue in April 1944, when he and his pilot flew their Sikorsky YR-4 behind Japanese lines and rescued an American pilot and three British soldiers after their plane crashed. ANN report 26 May 2006

17 May 2006 -- Scott Wilcox: As Ultralight Flying Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Wilcox had been leading one of the industry's most prominent ultralight publications for more than 20 years and was a visible and vocal proponent of personal flight and the freedoms they represented. ANN report 18 May 2006

3 June 2006 -- Aviation Reporter Michael Dornheim: Award-winning journalist at Aviation Week for a quarter-century, and a GA pilot himself, Dornheim won the Aviation/Space Writers Association Award of Excellence for stories on the space shuttle. He was also a three-time winner of the Royal Aeronautical Society's Aerospace Journalism of the Year Award. ANN report 13 June 2006

16 June 2006 -- Scott Manning: Lost when his Bede BD-5J microjet "The Stinger" went down during a practice flight, in preparation for a scheduled performance at Air Show Ottawa. ANN report 16 June 2006

17 June 2006 -- Boeing Test Pilot James Gannett: With a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Michigan, he earned a lifetime of aviation accomplishments, including testing experimental aircraft alongside Chuck Yeager: when he wasn't flying one of 55 combat missions during nine months in the Korean War. In 1954, he went to work for Boeing, where he tested the Dash-80, the experimental version of the 707, and the first of the Boeing 700-series airliners. He was project pilot for Boeing's SST and also tested the 727, 737, 747, and military adaptations of Boeing aircraft. ANN report 24 June 2006

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