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 feet for five seconds or more. So it was, after 6000 hours of design and construction effort, that Joe Zinno made history by being the first American to fly a Man Powered Aircraft.

For more details on Zinno’s life, please see his RIAHOF entry. or a full, detailed PDF bio of Lt. Col. Zinno’s impressive life at this link.

We are thankful that we were able to honor Zinno’s achievements before his death, and our sympathies go out to his family.