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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Aviation Services Group

The staff of the Aviation Services Group (ASG) of Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, Inc (HTA), an airport planning/engineering consulting company, truly believe the phrase "passion for flight" accurately describes the manner in which J. Richard ("Dick") Ludders approaches all things aviation. He is (in 2003) the Senior Vice President, Aviation Services Group, Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, Inc, Manchester, New Hampshire.

Dick Ludders has a long distinguished career in the airport/aviation industry, including a number of years with Flying Tiger Line (aka Flying Tigers), the nation's first commercial all-cargo carrier. In the late 1970s Dick joined Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, Inc. as an airport planner. Rising through the ranks, Dick was named head of the Aviation Services Group and a Senior Vice President, a position and title he retains today.

Dick is widely acknowledged as an expert in airport master planning, having completed over 100 master and feasibility plans and studies across the country. In the late 1980s/early 1990s, when heliport and vertiport studies and plans were in vogue, he led HTA efforts in this area in New Orleans, Louisiana, Houston, Texas, and the State of Hawaii.

In recent years he has served as the principal-in-charge of HTA's design efforts at Manchester Airport in Manchester, New Hampshire. During this period the Manchester Airport has developed from a sleepy airport (less than 1 million enplanements in 1992) north of Boston to a bustling airport (3.36 million enplanements in 2002) serving as a gateway to Northern New England and as a key cog in the New England Regional Airport System. Nine major air carriers serve Manchester Airport today, among them Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Air Canada.

Under Dick's leadership, HTA became a founding member of the Airport Consultants Council (ACC), which today is an international trade association representing more than 200 companies providing services to airports and the aviation industry. Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001 he was appointed by the ACC Board to be their representative to the Transportation Security Administration's Small Airports Task Force.

Dick is a Certified Member of and an active participant in activities of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). In recognition of its support over many years, Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, Inc. was presented the 2003 Corporate Achievement Award from the AAAE Northeast Chapter. HTA was cited for "decades of support and assistance to the Chapter and Chapter Members," the bulk of which was directed and managed by Dick Ludders.

In this year of the 100th Anniversary of Powered Flight, Dick served on the New Hampshire Aviation Historical Society's Centennial Celebration Committee, promoting New Hampshire's contribution to the history of Aviation and Space Exploration. Dick received an official Certificate of Appreciation for his efforts and was named to the 2004 Board of Directors for the Society.

It is with great pride and admiration that the staff of the Aviation Services Group of Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, Inc. nominate J. Richard Ludders for inclusion on the Wall of Honor in the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.