2018 Archives » Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame

RADM Richard E. Byrd Jr.

RIAHOF — Sat, 17 Nov 2018 20:43:09 +0000

Richard E. Byrd (1888-1957), after retiring early from the Navy in 1916 because of an ankle injury, was assigned to be the Inspector-Instructor of the RI Naval Militia in 1916. He supervised the Militia’s acquisition of its first seaplane, and helped usher this state into military aviation. He then became the Militia’s last commander, serving […]

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Henry D’Amico

RIAHOF — Sat, 17 Nov 2018 21:28:52 +0000

Henry D’Amico (1921-2009) was born and raised in East Providence to Italian immigrant parents. A graduate of East Providence High School, he was a WWII fighter pilot who flew 75 combat missions over Europe in his P-47 Thunderbolt, affectionately named Li’l-Rhody. As part of the 9th Air Force, 1st Lieutenant D’Amico flew escort flights, dive […]

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Raymond Noble Estey

RIAHOF — Sat, 17 Nov 2018 21:14:47 +0000

Raymond Noble Estey (1886-1980), a native of Waterbury, CT, moved to Rhode Island in 1909 and became an early photographer for the Providence Tribune. He assisted 2006 inductee Gerald Hanley with his first airplane in 1913, and produced some of the very first aerial photos of Rhode Island that year. While retaining his job as […]

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Theodore Phinney Grosvenor

RIAHOF — Sat, 17 Nov 2018 21:22:21 +0000

Theodore Phinney Grosvenor (1897-1985), was born in Providence, the scion of one of the first families of Rhode Island, operators of the Grosvenordale Mills. After graduating in 1916 from St. George’s School in Newport, he entered Harvard that fall, joining ROTC. He enlisted in the Navy on March 23, 1917, with the intention of going […]

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Douglas Powell Hunter

RIAHOF — Sat, 17 Nov 2018 21:38:22 +0000

Douglas Powell Hunter (1920-2014) was born in Providence in 1920 and graduated from Hope High School in 1939. He joined ROTC at Rhode Island State College. His older brother Bill, a B-17 bomber pilot in Europe, encouraged him to apply to the Army Air Forces. He did so, earning his wings in August of 1944. […]

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John J. Kapstein

RIAHOF — Sat, 17 Nov 2018 21:03:46 +0000

John J. Kapstein (1918-2016) is the only American buried in Moscow’s in Novodevichy Cemetery, roughly the Russian equivalent of Arlington National Cemetery. A native of Providence, he graduated from Hope High School and enlisted in the 103rd Field Artillery of the RI National Guard in 1934 by lying about his age. He eventually became a […]

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