By the end of 2019 we had made significant progress with the state concerning long-term access to several acres of land at the northeast corner of the main north-south runway at the former naval air station. We had hoped by this time to have been well into the initial development of our new facility, but […]
2019 Honorees Announced
At this year’s dinner, a Special Award will be awarded to Thomas Prinster (1945-2018) and Lyle Hogg, who saved 11 lives on February 21, 1982 by successfully crash landing their burning commuter plane on the frozen Scituate Reservoir. Click here to buy tickets. In addition to Thomas Prinster and Lye Hogg, we will recognize the […]
2015 Inductee Martha McSally Appointed to US Senate
After a narrowly losing a tight US Senate race in Arizona to Kyrsten Sinema (D), Rhode Island native Martha McSally has been appointed by AZ Governor Doug Ducey to fill the seat vacated by Sen. John McCain’s death in a surprising twist. Retired Air Force Colonel Martha McSally hails from Warwick, and a Distinguished Graduate […]
Local Interest: Memorial Day Interview with Frank Lennon on WEEI Radio
This year’s group includes a living World War II bomber pilot, a Marine helicopter pilot from Barrington killed in action in Grenada, and four heroes from Vietnam: three living Army helicopter pilots who flew hundreds of hours of combat, plus a deceased pilot from the Navy’s only assault helicopter squadron. The Hall of Fame will also honor the manager of the first scheduled commercial airline service to Hiilsgrove/TF Green Airport, as well as the avid private pilot who founded the Gregg’s Restaurant chain.
F Company, 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment
From 3 March 2011 to 24 December 2011, F Company, 1st Battalion,126th Aviation Regiment (Air Ambulance), a newly formed unit which deployed only 12 months after its conversion from a legacy UH-1 medical evacuation detachment, provided extremely effective and continuous MEDEVAC coverage in the complex and harsh terrain of western Afghanistan. On 3 March 2011, […]
In Memoriam: Lt. Col. Joseph A. Zinno (1923-2019)
We were recently informed by his family that 2006 Inductee Lieutenant Colonel Joseph A. Zinno, USAF (Ret), passed away on June 17, 2019, at the age of 95. On an April morning in 1976 at Quonset Point, RI, the Olympian, a beautiful bird with 78 foot Mylar wings rose from the ground and flew eighty […]
2018 Honorees Announced
Group includes one of America’s most famous explorers; a pioneer aviation photographer and pilot; Rhode Island’s first Naval Aviator; three World War I fliers; a World War II bomber pilot who is buried in Moscow; and two World War II pilots who flew in China.
In Memoriam: Lt. Col. Warren H. Smith, Jr. (1920-2018)
It is with sadness that we report that Lieutenant Colonel Warren H. Smith, Jr., USAF (Ret), who was inducted into the Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame in 2017, passed away at his life-long home in Lincoln, RI on September 9, 2018, at the age of 98. Smith led quite a career, retiring as a […]
In Memoriam: George B. Sullivan (1934-2018)
We are pleased to report that RI Aviation Hall of Fame has received a $15,000 grant in support of the preservation of its historic aircraft, the construction of aviation displays, and the continuation of its research about the state’s rich aviation history.
In Memoriam: LTG James Keck (1921-2018)
We are pleased to report that RI Aviation Hall of Fame has received a $15,000 grant in support of the preservation of its historic aircraft, the construction of aviation displays, and the continuation of its research about the state’s rich aviation history.
RIAHOF Receives $20K in Grants and Donations
We are pleased to report that RI Aviation Hall of Fame has received a $15,000 grant in support of the preservation of its historic aircraft, the construction of aviation displays, and the continuation of its research about the state’s rich aviation history.
2017 Annual Dinner to Honor WWI Centennial
The 15th Annual Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame Induction Dinner and Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 18, 2017 @ 5:30 PM at Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Cranston, RI. During these centennial years of the US involvement in World War I, we will honor those who made significant contributions to aviation […]
In Memoriam: Thomas MacLean, Jr. (1932-2017)
Thomas MacLean (1932-2017) exceeded his wildest dreams by becoming a USAF F84 Thunderjet pilot right before the end of the Korean War. The Warwick native joined the RI Air National Guard, where he was active from the early 1960s to the mid 1970s.
126th Aviation Regiment, RIANG
In 2007, the RI Aviation Hall of Fame provided Special Recognition awards to the men and women of the 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment of the Rhode Island Army National Guard, which was named the Outstanding Army National Guard Aviation Unit of the Year nationwide for 2005. Flying in the Iraqi theater for virtually the […]