Frank Pace and Tom Cassidy of General Atomics were inducted into the prestigious International Air & Space Hall of Fame in 2015.

The San Diego Air & Space Museum is remembering Rear Admiral Thomas Cassidy, Jr. a distinguished Naval aviator who flew 155 combat missions during the Vietnam War and who helped pioneer unmanned aircraft such as the “Predator” drone. Cassidy passed away on July 10, 2025 at the age of 92.

Cassidy was inducted into the prestigious International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in 2015.

Since 1963, the International Air & Space Hall of Fame has honored the world’s most significant pilots, crew members, visionaries, inventors, aerospace engineers, business leaders, preservationists, designers and space explorers.

Cassidy entered the U.S. Navy in January 1952 via the Naval Aviation Cadet (NAVCAD) program and served as a naval aviator until his retirement in October 1985 as Commander Fighter Airborne Early Warning Wing Pacific. His commands included Fighter Squadron ONE SIX ONE (VF-161) and Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, California. He flew 155 combat missions during the Vietnam War, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Air Medals (seven awards), and Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V” (five awards) as the executive officer/commanding officer of VF-161.

From the time Cassidy joined General Atomics in 1986, the company has taken bold steps into the Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) field. In 1993, as President of GA-Aeronautical Systems, Cassidy introduced the most important RPA in history, the RQ-1 “Predator,” which has dramatically changed warfare. GA-ASI has become a world leader in RPA. Cassidy, a highly decorated combat veteran, served in the Navy for 34 years, with over 6,000 flight hours, 155 combat missions, and 780 carrier landings. His career included service as Task Force Operations Officer during evacuation of Saigon. He commanded both VF-161 and NAS Miramar, when it was a Top Gun school, to his final assignment as Commander, Fighter Airborne Early Warning Wing, Pacific Fleet.

Frank Pace came to GA in 1991 following a distinguished career with several key contractors. In 2010, after 19 years under Admiral Cassidy, he was promoted to GA-ASI President. Pace has been inducted into the Hall of Fame for Engineering, Science & Technology and was awarded the 2010 Pioneer Award from the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. Pace has overseen greater than 70% of the more than three million hours flown by the wide variety of RPA produced by GA-ASI, including the Predator, Reaper and Avenger. Perhaps his most important achievement was his work mating the Predator RPA with the standoff capability of the Hellfire missile, giving it the ability to strike without risk to operating crews.

The International Air & Space Hall of Fame is the most prestigious induction of its kind in the world and is composed of hundreds of air and space pioneers, engineers, inventors and innovators, along with adventurers, scientists and industry leaders. NASA Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts and Russian cosmonauts are honored in the Hall, as well as famous legends such as the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Neil Armstrong and Amelia Earhart. Notable inductees also include Buzz Aldrin, Igor Sikorsky, Wernher von Braun, Jack Northrop, Jackie Cochran, William Boeing, Sr., Reuben H. Fleet, Glenn Curtiss, Walter Zable Sr., Fran Bera, Wally Schirra, Bill Anders, Jim Lovell, T. Claude Ryan, Jimmy Doolittle, Bob Hoover, Ellen Ochoa, Peggy Whitson, Linden Blue, Patty Wagstaff, and many more.

See the following link: http://sandiegoairandspace.org/exhibits/online-exhibit-page/international-air-space-hall-of-fame

To read Tom Cassidy’s full bio, visit: https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/in-memoriam/memoriam-cassidy.html