Dayton, OH
11/21/03

The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) will host its 43rd Annual Enshrinement Ceremony on Saturday, July 17, 2004, in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1962 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1964, the National Aviation Hall of Fame's mission is dedicated to honoring America's outstanding air and space pioneers.

Four more legends of aviation will be enshrined during the formal ceremony, where they will join the roster of the 178 men and women previously so honored by the NAHF. Often referred to as the Oscar Night of Aviation, this black tie dinner gala draws an audience of hundreds of aerospace, defense, government and industry leaders, as well as NAHF members and previous enshrinees.

The enshrinee Class of 2004 consists of former Apollo astronaut and nuclear energy expert, William A. Anders; America's first officially licensed woman pilot, the late Harriet Quimby; pioneering flight test engineer and pilot, the late Jack L. Ridley; and air show headliner and three-time U.S. National Aerobatic Champion, Patty Wagstaff.

Willam A. Anders, the son of a naval officer, was born in Hong Kong in 1933. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology, NASA selected Anders for astronaut training in 1963. He was a crew member with Frank Borman and James Lovell on Apollo 8, on which they became the first space travelers to orbit the moon and during which Anders captured the now iconic Earthrise photograph. He retired as a Major General from the USAF Reserves in 1988, and as an executive of GE, Textron and General Dynamics. With over 8,000 hours in fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, Anders remains active as an air racer and flys his restored military aircraft in air shows nationwide.

Harriet Quimby was born in Coldwater, Michigan, in 1875, moving with her family to California in 1884. As a journalist and photographer, she first witnessed an air race at a New York race track, and subsequently enrolled at the Moisant Aviation School in Garden City, Long Island. She was awarded her pilot's certificate by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale on August 2, 1911, making her the first American woman pilot. With a journalist's flair for the dramatic and spectacular, she embarked on a career as a air race and demonstration pilot. Her pioneering achievements include becoming the first woman pilot to fly the English channel solo in April of 1912, but she tragically died while competing in an air meet later that same year.

Jackie (Jack) L. Ridley was born in Garvin, Oklahoma, in 1915. With a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Oklahoma, he attended the AAF School of Engineering at Wright Field, Ohio, after pilot training. Upon receiving a M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from Cal Tech in 1945, he returned to Wright Field's Flight Test Division for test-pilot training. When Charles Yeager was selected to pilot the Bell X-1, he recommended Robert A. Hoover and Jack Ridley assist. The USAF named Hoover as alternate pilot and Ridley the flight test project engineer. Ridley's role was instrumental in Yeager's first breaking the sound barrier on October 14, 1947. Ridley was among the passengers killed in the 1957 crash of a military transport.

Patty Wagstaff was born into an Air Force family in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1951, eventually settling in Japan. From there she continued her cross-cultural academic career in Southeast Asia, Europe and Australia before moving to Alaska where she learned to fly in 1979. Wagstaff eagerly went on to earn numerous flight and instructor ratings. Upon setting a goal of competing in aerobatics, she first earned a spot on the U.S. Aerobatic Team in 1985. In 1991, she became the first woman to win the title of U.S. National Aerobatic Champion, repeating that feat the following two years in a row. An inspirational role model and aviation ambassador, her standard-setting aerial performances annually thrill millions of air show spectators worldwide.

Advance reservations to the NAHF 43rd Annual Enshrinement Ceremony can be placed by calling (937) 256-0944 ext. 10. Seats are $125 per person. The NAHF is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, thus $75 of each seat purchased is tax deductible as allowed by law.

For more information visit the NAHF website at www.nationalaviation.org or call (937) 256-0944 ext 16.

The National Aviation Hall of Fame's 13,000 square foot Learning Center opened to the public in January of 2003, featuring six galleries that trace the exciting history of flight through the people that made it happen. A variety of interactive displays highlight many of the achievements of the 178 enshrinees honored to date. The site is also home to the Harry B. Combs Research Center, dedicated to preserving tens of thousands of images and documents tracing the enshrinees life stories. Located adjacent to the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio, admission to the NAHF is free. A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the NAHF is supported primarily through memberships and the contributions of individuals and corporations.

EDITORS NOTE: Photos of the four inductees are available electronically upon request. Please specify file format and dpi. Requests for interviews may also be directed to:

Contact:

Ron Kaplan
NAHF Director of Marketing
TEL: (937) 256-0944 ext. 16
rkaplan@nationalaviation.org