The National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio, earlier this month inducted its 2012 class of air and space legends. Honored during the hall’s 50th anniversary enshrinement ceremony were: Geraldyn Cobb, record-setting pilot and the first and only woman to pass all of the Mercury astronaut selection tests; Keith Ferris, founder of the American Society of Aviation Artists and an expert and inventor of aircraft paint systems for military camouflage and high-visibility purposes; the late retired Lt. Gen. Elwood R. Quesada who helped develop and successfully demonstrate air-to-air refueling in 1929 and was the first commander of Tactical Air Command; and the late Richard T. Whitcomb, acclaimed as the most influential aeronautical researcher of his time for innovations, like winglets, that enable aircraft to fly faster, farther, and with less fuel. These four individuals joined the hall’s 211 previous members. The ceremony took place on Oct. 6. (NAHF website) (See also Airpower on Canvas for more on Ferris, Quesada the Conqueror, and Richard Whitcomb’s Triple Play from Air Force Magazine’s archives.)
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…