I recently started thinking about some of the truly legendary pilots and came up with a list. Anyone care to add? Here is my "TOP TEN" list in no particular order: Wilbur and Orville Wright EVERYONE knows what they did! Charles Lindbergh First man to cross the Atlantic solo. Scott Crossfield First man to fly twice the speed of sound. May still be the fastest pilot ever? Baron Manfred von Richthofen Greatest Ace in WW I. Leader of the deadly Flying Circus. Robert Bob Hoover Perhaps the greatest test pilot and aerobatic pilot who ever lived. He flew a Spitfire in WW II. Richard Bong - The United States' highest-scoring WWII air ace, having shot down at least 40 Japanese aircraft during World War II. He was a fighter pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. He flew a P-38 Lightning. Francis Gabreski - The top American fighter ace in Europe during World War II, a jet fighter ace in Korea, and a career officer in the United States Air Force. He flew a P-47 Thunderbolt. Eddie Rickenbacker - An American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was America's most successful fighter ace in WW I. Chuck Yeager First man to fly beyond the speed of sound. Howard Hughes Aviation pioneer, inventor and airline executive. Bob Z.
I had the opportunity to speak to Chuck Yeager. I asked him, "Who's the greatest pilot you ever saw?" I couldn't resist posing the same question from The Right Stuff! After telling me I watch too many movies, he said, "Well, if you're a pilot, and you're still alive, you must be doing something right!" I thought that was a great answer!
Man, did I goof! How could I forget Jimmy Doolittle? Without a doubt, one of the all time legends. Air racer, war hero, leader in the development of instrument flying and aviation fuel. One of the few who could fly the GeeBee! Doolittle's Tokyo Raiders. The list goes on. Bob Z.
Even though maybe an unconventional choice, I'd have to include Jack Ridley on this list. Also Alfred Haynes and Robert Pearson, both of whom put down airliners that by all accounts should have taken more lives given their state of disability.
A good list. You might add Nadezhda Popova (Nadezhda Popova - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), and Dora Dougherty (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dora_Dougherty_Strother). This is a wonderful obituary for Nadezheda: http://www.economist.com/news/obituary/21581962-nadezhda-nadia-popova-night-bomber-pilot-died-july-8th-aged-91-nadia-popova I would definitely agree about Jimmy Doolittle!
Don- Your nominating the Night Witch Popova reminds me of a story. In USAF we had mandatory equal opportunity training, which, as you can imagine, was torture. When we first got in the class the instructor asked who Lydia Ltryak was. I told him she was the top Russian female ace of WW-2 (12 kills), which really chapped him off. I then asked him who Ivan Kozhedub was and he had no clue (top Russian ace of WW-2 with 62 kills). So I then asked him who Richard Ira Bong was, again no clue. Needless to say, I was not his favorite student that day and his credibility was shot. No idea how Popova lived through the war with something like 800 combat sorties.
Taz, this one is fun! I haven't read anything definitive about WW2 fighter tactics and I have always wondered how certain pilots get high kill numbers. Superior tactics, better shooting skills,or mentality. I knew one ace who was a P-38 pilot. He was a full throttle head down battler who liked fighting and women. Absolutely no finesse in approaching either one. From what I have read, Richtofen was a hunter and therefore a good shooter who's target was the man not the machine.
I was friends with several Boeing test pilots, one of whom was copilot during the demo flight of the 367-80 when it was being shown to Howard Hughes. He flew it extensively and the flight went into the night. Hw wanted to make a night landing and they had to take the airplane away from him when he lined up on a freeway instead of the runway at the airport. Hughes told them of flying a Connie after he bought some for TWA. He was flying it solo from L.A. to N.Y. and shortly after take off he put it on autopilot and started working on some business papers. He noticed something pass by and was shocked to see that it was a mountaintop. He had set the autopilot at an altitude below that of the Rockies. I imagine that he could handle an airplane but maybe he had a lot on his mind at times.
Ok, I can see someone in USAF not knowing thevothers, but not knowing the USAAF's top WW2 ace? Yikes! T
Watching those big B-25's take from the deck of the Hornetb in the old documentaries, unbelievable! True heroes...T
Yeager asked to sign a cast on my arm at the 1997 Air Force's 50th Anniversary Airshow. I didn't have a pen or marker. He seemed like a really decent person. He was just walking around looking at at the planes like everyone else. Anytime anyone recognized him, he looked pleased to stop and talk or take pics with them. Mark Mark
Just spreading the joy everywhere you go huh? I have had a similar relationship with a few factory instructors. If the list was for women I would nominate Hanna Reitsch.
Difficult to pick just ten but I think the Wrights and Hughes really belong in a list of important pioneers more than great pilots. Very long list of dumb things Hughes did in an airplane, not unlike A. Earhart but in Howards case I just don't think he could focus on any one thing long enough to be a safe pilot. The guy was famous for his short attention span.
Eric "Winkle" Brown, no one, anywhere has done what he has. His record of types flown is simply amazing, carrier traps, first jet trap, etc etc
Bert Hinkler, navigator extraordinaire and record setter from an era where majority died trying such things.. Bert Hinkler - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Werner Voss, Don Gentile, Pete Conrad, Ernst Udet, Robin Olds, Gunther Rall, Bubi (Erich) Hartmann. Way too hard to get down to 10. Ira Eaker, Jimmy Stewart, etc, etc. Brian- I try to bring cheer to all those who just waste oxygen.
Another reason why the Russians and Germans got the high kill numbers was that they never rotated home. So, the ones who lived had more missions, and more experience, than many allied pilots.
Never a truer word spoken.... top 10 is so hard to name...what do you base it on ? combat ? types flown? Test pilots ?? My top 2 are the blokes that got me through my PPL...if they can do that they can do anything.... But my list would include Alex Henshaw Jeffery Quill Clay Lacy Johnnie Johnson Guy Gibson Brian Trubshaw Douglas Bader Adolf Galland...... You could go on forever