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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Leader

Honored by:
Ms. Libby M. Yunger

Growing up in St. Louis, MO, there was never a time in when Bob was not fascinated by the sky and all of its inhabitants - clouds, celestial bodies, birds, and above all, aircraft. His love of airplanes was so obvious that his second grade teacher told him that if he held fast to his dream someday he would be a pilot.
After high school Bob attended Washington University where he was also a member of the Air Force ROTC. In 1960 Bob dropped out of college to join the Navy in the Nav-Cad program, having been promised by the Navy recruiter that if he did well in his course work and showed an aptitude for flying he could become a Naval aviator even though he lacked a college degree. Bob entered the Navy on 10 October 1960, completing his basic training, coursework and ground school at NAS Memphis and his flight training in T-34 and T-28 trainers at NAS Pensacola. He transitioned to seaplanes at NAS North Island, becoming one of the last Navy seaplane pilots, flying the P5M Martin Marlin. Bob was assigned to VP-47, the Golden Swordsmen, stationed at NAS Whidbey Island from 1962-1964, where he was the right seat pilot of 6 boat. Their major assignment was anti-submarine warfare, and in 1964 his squadron deployed to Vietnam and to Cold Bay, AK. In 1964 the Navy began decommissioning its seaplanes, and Bob was discharged from the Navy on 19 August 1964.
Returning to civilian life in St. Louis, Bob used his GI Bill benefits to complete a bachelor degree in electrical engineering from Washington University and obtain his civilian aviation ratings - single engine airplane, multi-engine airplane, instrument, and certified ground and flight instructor. In 2003 he added a multi-engine seaplane rating. Bob was a telecommunications engineer and for several years a corporate pilot for Rockwell Telecommunications, but in his "spare" time he was a charter pilot for Thunderbird Aviation and free-lance flight instructor, eventually specializing in tail wheel check-outs and aerobatic training. In 1989 Bob became the chief flight instructor for Carl Cochran's flight school at Washington Airport in Missouri that specialized in training pilots to fly the PT-17 Stearman bi-plane. When Carl retired in 1997, Bob and his partners formed River Bend Flying Service, bought two of Carl's Stearmans and moved the flight training operation to St. Charles Municipal Airport. In 2003 Bob became sole owner of River Bend which moved to St. Charles County Airport in 2010 when the municipal airport closed. Over the 26 years that Bob was associated with the Stearman flight school, he gave hundreds of rides and trained several hundred pilots to fly the Stearman, many of whom went on to own Stearman, Travel Air, or Waco bi-planes. From 2003-2008, Bob also piloted the Ozark Air Lines Museum C-47 to air shows in the Midwest. This was an authentic WW-II Army Air Corps paratroop carrier that later saw similar service with the French and Israeli Air Forces.
The sky was Bob's true home. Over the course of his 55-year career in aviation, Bob flew aircraft as diverse as the P5-M Martin Marlin, Republic Twin Seabee, Bellanca Super Decathlon, 600 HP Super Stearman, Ford Tri-Motor, Douglas DC-3/C-47, and Saberliners, as well as the full range of Cessna, Piper, and Beech single-engine and twin-engine propeller aircraft. He owned a Pitts S-2B named Trudy and Stearman N2S in original Navy colors named Alice.