Honoree:
Harold D. Hauck Sr.
Born:
December 31,1921, in Port Clinton, Ohio
Died:
August 23, 2003, in Medina, Ohio
Service:
United States Army, World War II, European Theater
First Flying Lesson:
July 1946 in a Piper J-3 Cub
Private Pilot:
License obtained on December 19,1946
Commercial Pilot:
License obtained on September 8,1949
Instructor:
License obtained on July 27,1950
Career:
Harold began flying commercially at Sky Tours, Inc. (name later changed to Island Airlines, Inc.), located in Port Clinton, Ohio, in 1950. He had 358 hours of total time when he began flying the Ford Tri-motor (dual) for Sky Tours on November 7, 1950. Harold soloed the Tri-motor on July 23, 1951 when his total time was 465 hours. He continued to work at Island Airlines in various capacities - pilot, chief pilot, mechanic and airport manager - until his retirement in 1980. Upon his retirement, Harold had logged over 15,000 hours total time in Ford Tri-motors, the most time in this type of aircraft known for anyone worldwide. Over his 30 years of flying, Harold did not have one single accident, but did have several "incidents," all due to mechanical failures. Perhaps the most notable incident was on August 8, 1952. Upon takeoff from South Bass Island, Ohio, airport on that day, the center engine of the Tri-motor he was flying seized up, tore itself off the airplane and fell into Lake Erie. Despite low altitude and extremely adverse handling, Harold managed to bring the Tri-motor and its 13 passengers safely back to the airport. Harold never obtained an IFR rating, but could be counted as one of the best "seat-of-the-pants" pilots of his era. In our opinions, he was truly a great aviator and we are proud to include him on the National Aviation and Space Exploration Wall of Honor.