Foil: 9 Panel: 4 Column: 2 Line: 114

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Mr. Jim Rockwood

Donald Ray Rockwood was born in western New York on September 17, 1916. His interest in aviation began at an early age and drove him to attend the Burgard Vocational High School Aviation Maintenance Program in Buffalo, New York. After graduation he initially worked for Curtis Aircraft as an assembler on the P-36 and later the P-40 line.
In early 1941 he left Curtis for the fledgling Bell Aircraft Company to work final assembly and flight test of the Bell XFM-1 Aircuda, the P-39 Aircobra, and the P-63 Aircobra. In 1943 he became part of a small team of Bell employees that opened, what is currently Air Force Plant #6 in Marietta, GA, building the B-29 Superfortress.
At the end of World War II he returned to Buffalo and was soon assigned to the X-1 program. He assumed a maintenance supervision position with Bell Aircraft Flight Test at Edwards Air Force Base in early 1951 working the X-1A, X-1B, X-2 and X-5 programs.
His interest in helicopters brought him to Bell’s Fort Worth, Texas helicopter plant in 1954 to manage Final Assembly and Flight Test of all Bell Helicopter models. After 41 years with Bell Helicopter, he retired in 1982.