Major Peter C. Zuras USAF (Ret)

For Major Peter C. Zuras, aviation has been a passion for his entire adult life. He was a charter member of the University of Maryland Flying Club and on July 24, 1951, at the age of 20, he made his first solo flight from Erco Field in Riverdale, Maryland in a Piper J-3 Cub.

He earned his Private Pilot License on March 25, 1952 and entered the United States Air Force Aviation Cadets pilot training program in 1953 at Lackland AFB, TX. He completed Primary Pilot Training at Malden Air Base, Missouri and Basic Training at the Fighter Pilot School at Williams AFB, Arizona. On February 24, 1955 he was awarded his wings and commission as a 2ndLt in the United States Air Force. In his twenty years of military service he accumulated over 7000 piston and jet hours in a variety of single- and multi-engine aircraft including:

Piper Super Cub PA-18
North American T-6, T-28, F-86D
Lockheed T-33, TV-2, C-121, RC-121R
Beechcraft T-34, C-45
Convair T-29, C-131
Fairchild C-l 19, C-123
Douglas C-47
DeHavilland Beaver L-20 on skis
Boeing B-50, KB-50J

More than 700 hours were flown in combat in an RC-121 over Southeast Asia from mid-1970 to mid-1971. While stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio from 1967 to 1970, he was a test pilot involved in the research and development of various operational systems such as low light level vision devices, side looking radar and infrared and laser detection technology. These were first used in Southeast Asia and were the precursors to the battlefield technology used today. In 1973 he earned his Airline Transport Pilot rating.

He retired from the Air Force on November 30, 1973 and, although his second career was not aviation related, his involvement with flying did not diminish. In 1973 he became a Certified Flight Instructor-Instrument in both single- and multi-engine aircraft. He has passed on his love of flying to many students at airfields across the Washington, DC area.

Flying whenever possible, he accumulated an additional 3000+ hours of civilian flying in over 24 different types of aircraft. He reached a long-standing goal when, in 1989, he became the owner of his own airplane, a Piper PA-32-300 Lance II, which he continues to operate today. In 2004 he was awarded the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), recognizing over 50 continuous years of accident and violation free flying.

His family honors Major Peter C. Zuras as one whose enthusiasm, dedication, and integrity have had a positive influence on the advancement of aviation, including the role it has played in the defense of our country.