Thank you to those who attended this year's International Air & Space Hall of Fame Induction Celebration!

Pictures from the evening are now available on our Flickr page and you can view them here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/129131195@N04/

Thank you to those who attended and we hope to see you again at next year's event!

The San Diego Air & Space Museum also wants to thank the following sponsors:

Class of 2014:

Joe Engle: Air Force Major General Joe Engle is retired from the Air National Guard, the United States Air Force, and the NASA Astronaut program. During his career, he flew 16 research flights in the famed X-15 rocket plane in the 1960s and went on to fly the prototype space shuttle Enterprise during the Approach and Landing Tests and two orbital space shuttle missions. General Engle has flown over 185 different types of aircraft including 38 different fighter and attack aircraft. He has logged more than 14,700 flight hours – 9,900 in jets and over 224 hours in space. His military decorations include two Distinguished Service Medals and the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster. He is currently an engineering consultant and technical advisor on space vehicles and space operations and is serving as Technical Advisor to NASA’s International Space Station Advisory Committee.

Fitz Fulton: After 23 years of service as a pilot in the United States Air Force, Lieutenant Colonel Fitzhugh L. "Fitz" Fulton Jr. retired as a civilian research pilot from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. While in the service, Fitz flew in the Berlin Airlift and Korean War, tested the Air Force's newest bombers, launched every 'X-Plane' from the X-1 to the X-15 and tested the Mach 2 B-58 Hustler and triplesonic XB-70 Valkyrie. After retiring from the Air Force, he flew for NASA piloting aircraft such as the YF-12 (later the SR-71) Blackbird and 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, and after leaving NASA, he became a test pilot for Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites. Fulton is the recipient of numerous aviation awards, including four Distinguished Flying Crosses and the Harmon International Aviation Trophy.  

Bill Boeing, Jr.: William E. Boeing, Jr. is the son of aviation pioneer William Edward Boeing, founder of the Boeing Company. Bill Boeing Jr. is a real estate developer, philanthropist and an influential preservationist. In 2010, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics presented him with a certificate of achievement for his commitment to education and the preservation of air and space history. In the late 1970s he was instrumental in ensuring that the Red Barn, the oldest airplane manufacturing facility in the United States, was preserved and integrated into aviation history. Bill Boeing Jr. is a champion for education and advocate for the children who will extend his father’s vision and legacy for the next 100 years and beyond.

General John (Jack) R. Dailey: Retired four-star Marine Corps General John R. Dailey has over 7,000 flying hours in fighters; light attack, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare aircraft; transports; and helicopters. He flew 450 missions during two tours in Vietnam and has numerous personal decorations which he received for combat operations. General Dailey has served as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps (ACMC) and Chief of Staff. During his service, he was awarded two Distinguished Service Medals, a Distinguished Flying Cross, and a Bronze Star. After his retirement from the Marine Corps, he served as Acting Associate Deputy Administrator of NASA, and since 2000, the director of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

The Ninety-Nines: The Ninety-Nines is an international fraternity of women pilots, founded in 1929 to promote the advancement of aviation through education, scholarships and mutual support while honoring their unique history and sharing their passion for flight. In 1931, founding member Amelia Earhart was elected as first president and the group was named for its 99 charter members. Today over 5,000 women are members of 190 chapters in 35 countries. Their headquarters, located at the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, houses archival records, video oral histories, personal artifacts, collections and memorabilia, and biographical files on thousands of women pilots from around the world. 

WD-40: WD-40 is the trademark name of a lubricant, penetrating oil and water-displacing spray. Created in 1953 by the Rocket Chemical Company in San Diego, WD-40 was first used by Convair to protect the outer skin, and more importantly, the paper thin “balloon tanks” of the Atlas missile from rust and corrosion. The product became so popular it is now used worldwide in countless consumer and industrial applications. Accepting on behalf of WD-40 is CEO Garry Ridge.

Roger Schaufele: During his 37 years at Douglas Aircraft Company, Roger D. Schaufele held a number of critical engineering posts including Project Aerodynamicist, Director of Advanced Design, Director of Technology, and Vice President of Engineering. His chief responsibilities included technological designs and development for all new commercial and military aircraft manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company. He is currently Professor of Aircraft Design at California State University, Long Beach, and a consultant to NASA’s Aerospace Safety program throughout NASA.

Bessie Coleman: Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman was an American civil aviator and the first African American woman to earn a pilot’s license. She specialized in stunt flying and parachuting, earning a living barnstorming and performing aerial tricks, and remains a pioneer in women’s aviation. Flying schools in the United States denied her entry, so she took it upon herself to learn French and moved to France to achieve her goal. After seven months, Coleman earned her license from France's well known Caudron Brother's School of Aviation. On April 30, 1926, Coleman was killed in an accident during a rehearsal for an aerial show. She was just 34 years old and remains a legend and legacy for young women aviators today, breaking barriers and setting achievement standards.