National Aviation Hall of Fame

National Aviation Hall of Fame Honoring Aerospace Legends to Inspire Future Leaders. Over the next several months, planning takes place for the formal affair of their actual Enshrinement.

At the NAHF, we achieve our appointed vocation through our thorough Board of Nominations process, our grand annual Enshrinement Ceremony and our educational programs including our accessible Learning Center and WOW program. For two and a half months, a group of Enshrinees, industry leaders, historians and aviation authorities study the lives of the over 300 men and woman who have been nominated by

our members for Enshrinement. Through several rounds of voting and then a final round of vetting by their peers, four American’s who have excelled in one of the many facets of aviation are chosen to become Inductees of the NAHF. Known as “The Oscar Night of Aviation,” the star studded gala draws an international crowd and is talked and written about for weeks after. As the dust settles, the important work of immortalizing the life and work of each Enshrinee begins. From video-taped oral histories to gathering the words and memories through their families, friends and co-workers, the NAHF collects artifacts, those tangible and those abstract, so that a living history can be formed. The NAHF uses the materials collected over the months and years to make the basis of our educational processes.

Today we celebrate Juneteenth, a day that commemorates freedom and honors the enduring impact of Black Americans across ...
06/19/2026

Today we celebrate Juneteenth, a day that commemorates freedom and honors the enduring impact of Black Americans across history, culture, and innovation. At the National Aviation Hall of Fame, we celebrate the pioneers and trailblazers whose achievements in aviation continue to inspire future generations.

NAHF Enshrinee Tom Poberezny was always destined for a life in aviation. In 1953, his father, fellow NAHF Enshrinee Paul...
06/17/2026

NAHF Enshrinee Tom Poberezny was always destined for a life in aviation. In 1953, his father, fellow NAHF Enshrinee Paul Poberezny, founded the EAA - The Spirit of Aviation (Experimental Aircraft Association), and Tom served in several pivotal roles in the organization from the 1960s onward. In the late 1970s, Poberezny led the EAA’s first major capital campaign, which supported the construction of the current EAA Aviation Center headquarters and museum complex at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In 1989, Tom succeeded his father as the second President of the EAA. He also served as the chair of the annual EAA AirVenture Fly-In Convention, now known as EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, for more than 30 years. During his tenure, this convention became the world’s largest annual general aviation event, attracting an attendance of more than 500,000 from 70 nations and 10,000 airplanes.

In 1992, he spearheaded the creation of EAA’s Young Eagles. The EAA aimed to provide one million kids with an airplane flight by the centennial of powered flight on December 17, 2003. The one millionth Young Eagle was flown in October 2003. In 2002-2003, Poberezny served in a pivotal leadership role for the national centennial celebration of flight. He was a member of the Centennial of Flight Commission, a board commissioned by Congress to coordinate and publicize the nation’s commemoration of the Wright brothers’ historic first flight. He also led the EAA’s Countdown to Kitty Hawk, which was a program that commissioned the construction of an authentic reproduction of the 1903 Wright Flyer. The airplane successfully flew at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in late 2003.

Outside of the EAA, Poberezny was an accomplished aviator in his own right. He was a member of the U.S. National Unlimited Aerobatic Team that won the World Championship in 1972. In 1973, he won the U.S. National Unlimited Aerobatic Championship. He flew as one wing of the Eagles Aerobatic Team (originally known as the Red Devils), the most successful civilian precision flying team in history, for 25 years.

This past weekend at the CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show, the National Aviation Hall of Fame welcomed guests to our c...
06/16/2026

This past weekend at the CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show, the National Aviation Hall of Fame welcomed guests to our chalet and had the privilege of spending time with Champion Aerobatic Pilot Aarron Deliu and several of our incredible enshrinees. We were honored to celebrate aviation and connect with those who helped shape its history, including Ronald R. Fogleman, John & Martha King, and John Goglia. ✈️

Thank you to our chalet sponsor Hartzell Propeller and everyone who stopped by and made the weekend so memorable!

Our first week of Summer LEGO® Aviation Camp had the Innovation Lab buzzing with creativity! With last week’s theme cent...
06/15/2026

Our first week of Summer LEGO® Aviation Camp had the Innovation Lab buzzing with creativity! With last week’s theme centered around the Dayton Air Show, campers explored the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force while learning about aviation history and all things flight. They then used what they learned to create cardboard replicas and original LEGO® aviation designs. ✈️

We’re excited to see what the rest of the summer has in store as campers continue building, creating, and discovering the world of aviation through hands-on STEM activities! 🚀

NAHF Enshrinee Robert “Bob” Hoover was an incredibly capable and distinguished aviator, so much so that fellow NAHF Ensh...
06/15/2026

NAHF Enshrinee Robert “Bob” Hoover was an incredibly capable and distinguished aviator, so much so that fellow NAHF Enshrinee and aviation legend Jimmy Doolittle called Hoover the “greatest stick-and-rudder man who ever lived.” Hoover’s flying career began in the late 1930s at Nashville’s Berry Field where he taught himself basic aerobatic maneuvers. He went on to join the Tennessee Air National Guard with his squadron joining the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1940. He soon found himself in combat in the European theater during WWII; he flew several missions before being shot down. He spent a little over a year in German captivity until he was able to escape, commandeering a Focke-Wulf 190 that he flew to safety. Post-war he became a test pilot, flying cutting-edge military aircraft at Dayton’s Wright Field. In 1947, he served as fellow NAHF Enshrinee Chuck Yeager’s back-up for the supersonic Bell X-1 project. Next, he became a civilian test pilot for North American Aviation and Rockwell International. In this position he flew the XFJ-2 Fury and the F-86 Sabre Jet.

Outside of being a test pilot, Hoover’s major occupation was aerobatic flier; in fact, he is a pillar of modern aerobatics. In the 1950s, he flew various North American aircraft, but he mainly flew his P-51 Mustang Old Yeller, and later a Shrike Commander, in countless military and civilian air shows. He captained the 1966 U.S. Aerobatic Team, set altitude and speed records in both North American and Rockwell International aircraft, and routinely went abroad to demonstrate aircraft such as the T-39 jet, the Sabreliner, and the Aero Commander fleet. In all, he flew over 300 types of aircrafts at over 2,500 air shows.

Hoover had unmatched skills in aerobatic flying, but his true contribution to the field came from his endless passion for aviation. He always had time for discussions and advice, and he influenced and inspired generations of pilots.

EDIT- We don't usually do this, but there is so much excitement around Bob Hoover we wanted to let you know that we have a very limited number of prints of his distinctive “Ole Yeller” Mustang SINGED by Bob Hoover. All purchases support the National Aviation Hall of Fame and help us to celebrate all of our Enshrinees! https://nationalaviation.org/product/bob-hooverp-51d-mustang-ole-yeller-1998/

NAHF Enshrinee Betty Skelton Frankman grew up with a well-established love for aviation, earning her pilot’s license as ...
06/12/2026

NAHF Enshrinee Betty Skelton Frankman grew up with a well-established love for aviation, earning her pilot’s license as a teenager. Encountering barriers for women in commercial and military aviation, Frankman instead turned towards exhibition flying. Her professional aerobatic career began in 1946 at the Southeastern Air Exposition. She flew her first official shows at the same time the new U.S. Navy exhibition team, the Blue Angels, flew their first official shows. In 1948, Frankman won her first International Female Aerobatic Championship. She won her second and third consecutive International Female Aerobatic Championships in 1949 and 1950. Also in 1949, she set a women’s altitude record of 29,050 feet (8,854 meters) in a Piper Super Cub. She flew demonstration flights of the Beech T-24 for the Air Force evaluation team at the request of fellow NAHF Enshrinees Walter and Olive Ann Beech.

By the early 1950s, Frankman had accomplished the highest achievements in aerobatic flying and decided to move on to other endeavors. She did a few odd jobs before meeting the founder of NASCAR, Bill France, while flying charter flights out of Raleigh, North Carolina. France convinced her to drive at Daytona Beach during Speed Week where she not only drove the pace car, but she also set a stock car record. She found herself a new record-setting career. She became the auto industry's first woman test driver. She was part of the team that drove a 1955 Dodge 365 miles per hour at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. Frankman set a Women’s Land Speed Record of 276 miles (430kph) per hour average with one of her one-way runs topping out at 316 miles per hour (509 kph). She also set a transcontinental speed record and earned four Feminine World Land Speed Records. In 1959, Skelton became the first woman to undergo the same astronaut tests that the original Mercury 7 astronauts had endured for a media piece for NASA. She knew that there was no real possibility of NASA accepting women into the astronaut corps at that time, but nonetheless she went into the tests determined to convince them that a woman could successfully pass every one of them.

NAHF Enshrinee Katherine Stinson grew up dreaming of being a concert pianist, not an aviator. In 1911, a balloon ride in...
06/10/2026

NAHF Enshrinee Katherine Stinson grew up dreaming of being a concert pianist, not an aviator. In 1911, a balloon ride inspired Stinson to pursue a way to pay for her musical aspirations via the burgeoning world of aviation. She went to Max Lillie’s Flying School in Chicago and convinced Lilllie to make her his first female student. Within two months, she became a licensed pilot (only the fourth American woman to do so). What started out as a means to pursue a career in music, quickly became her career itself, as Stinson went on to become a popular, internationally recognized stunt and exhibition flyer.

In 1915, Stinson, her mother, and her siblings (including sister Marjorie and brother Eddie) incorporated the Stinson School of Flying in San Antonio, Texas. Both Katherine and her sister Marjorie served as instructors, brother Eddie as the chief mechanic, and mother Emma Beaver Stinson as the business manager.

Stinson was a woman of many firsts. She was the first woman to fly at night. On July 18, 1915 at Cicero Field in Chicago, Illinois, Stinson became the first woman to perform a loop in an aircraft. Also in 1915, in Los Angeles, California, Stinson became the first woman to perform night skywriting when she wrote the word CAL in the Los Angeles sky. Between 1916-1917, Stinson became the first woman to fly in Asia, performing exhibition flights in China and Japan. Finally, in 1918, Stinson was the first woman authorized to carry U.S. mail, flying a route between New York City and Chicago.

Volunteers are part of what makes the National Aviation Hall of Fame so special. Their hard work behind the scenes helps...
06/09/2026

Volunteers are part of what makes the National Aviation Hall of Fame so special. Their hard work behind the scenes helps us preserve and enhance the experiences that inspire visitors of all ages through curiosity, innovation, and a love of aviation history.

If you’d like to make a difference as a volunteer, contact us at 937-256-0944 ext. 16 or visit nationalaviation.org/contact

On June 8, 1959 at Edwards Air Force Base in California, NAHF Enshrinee Scott Crossfield makes the first unpowered glide...
06/08/2026

On June 8, 1959 at Edwards Air Force Base in California, NAHF Enshrinee Scott Crossfield makes the first unpowered glide flight of the North American Aviation X-15-1 hypersonic aircraft with the flight lasting five minutes. Crossfield would go on to fly the X-15 many more times, reaching speeds of up to Mach 2.97 (about three times the speed of sound) and altitudes of more than 88,000 feet before the project was turned over to the NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Airforce.

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