The twenty-third annual RI Aviation Hall of Fame Class of Honorees will be recognized at our annual dinner on Saturday, November 22, 2025 at The Scottish Rite Center, 2115 Broad St, Cranston, RI. 2025 Guest of Honor ***Unable to attend due to the birth of his great-grandchild! ****Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Enoch “Woody” Woodhouse, […]
Raymond W. Barnes (1915-1992) was a radioman/gunner whose B-17 was shot down over Germany in November, 1943. Seven crew members perished and three survived as POWs, including Barnes, who lost an eye during the fight. He was liberated in June 1945. His son Ron Barnes is going to Germany in 2026 to dedicate a memorial […]
Ed Bowers, who served in Marine Aviation as an enlisted navigator from 1956 to 1961, is the recipient of this year’s President’s Award. His contribution not only to the US Marines, but also to the furtherance of the Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame itself. Ed has been an active and hard-working volunteer on our […]
Carpenter earned seven Air Medals flying light observation aircraft in Vietnam. He joined the RI Army National Guard in 1969, serving for the next 35 years. By retirement he had flown some 3700 flight hours, 800 of which were combat hours. His lifetime of service to Army Aviation resulted in the award of the order […]
Robert G. Danis (1936-2009) soloed on his 16th birthday and went on to accrue more than 20,000 flying hours. He flew with the Civil Air Patrol and as a private charter pilot before spending 30 years with US Air. After retirement he launched Lincoln Flight Center in Smithfield. Bob was designated Pilot of the Year […]
Staff Sergeant Anthony J De Fusco (1923-1944) MIA, China was a radio operator / gunner on a B-25 based in China. On August 23, 1944, his plane took off on a combat mission; they were not seen nor heard from again. He was one of six sons of Pasquale and Eileen De Fusco; five of […]
Maurais flew helicopter gunships in Vietnam in 1966-67. He accrued 440 combat hours flying with an innovative aerial rocket artillery unit. Having served as a mechanic after enlisting in 1956, he reenlisted in order to fly. After Vietnam he worked as a commercial helicopter pilot and joined the RI Army National Guard. When he retired […]
Eugene F. McSweeney (1921-2015) was a Navy fighter pilot. McSweeney was sworn in at exercises during the Army-Chicago Bears football game at Boston on September 20, 1942. He flew 79 Hellcat sorties off the carrier USS Bataan in 1945, accruing 305 combat hours. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and five Air Medals. At war’s […]
LTCOL Herbert “Herb” Woodcock, USAF (Ret.) (1928-2023) joined the Air Force and was commissioned as a navigator. He deployed to Okinawa during the Korean War; his units supported B-29 bombing missions. In January 1954 he survived a jet crash into the South China Sea. In Vietnam he was assigned to the 12th Air Commando Squadron, […]