John Joseph Witten knew he wanted to fly from the time he was 5 years old when he first noticed his uncle as a pilot for Pan Am.

John entered the US Navy flight training school in Pensacola, FL in 1949 and graduated in 1952. He flew “typhoon trackers” for the Navy during the Korean War.

Upon returning to civilian life John became a pilot for Trans World Airlines, eventually flying Boeing 747s as a Captain. He retired from TWA in 1985 after 30 years of service, but later returned to his love of aviation working several years for the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) at O’Hare Airport, Chicago.