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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Tara Tapp

John Robert Tapp was born on February 22, 1951 and grew up in Falls Church, Virginia. He was on the high school track team and worked as a lifeguard. He was accepted into West Point and graduated on June 6, 1973 with a bachelor of science in applied engineering and sciences. Three days later, he married his high school sweetheart, Diane Morrison. His first solo flight on October 8, 1975 was just the start of a remarkable career in aviation. He soon became a skilled helicopter pilot, flying Hueys. The next year, he was stationed near the DMZ in Korea. 1st Lieutenant Tapp played a key role in Operation Paul Bunyan at Panmunjom on August 21, 1976 by providing transport for those overseeing the operation. He served in the Army until 1980 as a flight instructor and supervisor. He managed all aspects of rotary wing flight training conducted by the Army Aviation Center and instructed initial entry rotary wing aviation students in all phases of initial helicopter qualification, night qualification, and night vision goggle flight training. He supervised forty instructor pilots and eighty student pilots. In 1981 he switched branches with his entrance into the Air Force and became an integral part of the search and rescue team. On November 14, 1981, Captain Tapp provided support for the landing of the space shuttle Columbia in White Sands, New Mexico, as part of the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery team. He also supervised operations of twelve aircraft flying over 6000 hours annually, twenty-five instructors and 115 students. As an instructor/flight examiner, he oversaw flight standardization and quality evaluation programs. He continued to serve in the Air Force until his retirement on July 1, 1993. Since then, he has held several positions as a quality engineer. He has two daughters and one grandson and lives with his wife in Illinois.