James H. 'Slim' Carmichael

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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Sponsor

Honored by:
Ms. Joan Carmichael Murphy

James H. ("Slim") Carmichael (1907-1983) dedicated his life to aviation in the United States. He is mentioned in R.E.G. Davies' book, Rebels and Reformers of the Airways, published by The Smithsonian Institution Press in 1987.

President Roosevelt presented him with the Air Mail Flyers Medal of Honor in 1935. Following World War II he was sent to Germany by the Defense Department to study and report on German aircraft. He was "the last of the pilot presidents" as president of Capital Airlines, and brought jet air travel to the U.S. in the form of the turbo jet (Viscount) in the 1950s.

He's also served as a deputy to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator Alexander P. Butterfield in the 1970s before retiring to Florida.