Foil: 25 Panel: 4 Column: 1 Line: 12

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Sponsor

Honored by:
Ms. Kim L. Lehman

From the day that he took his PBS benefit ride in the National Warplane Museum's B-17 "Fuddy Duddy" and lifted off that grass strip, Skip Lehman became an advocate and visionary in the celebration and living preservation of aviation history. He took the little family weekend warbird fly-in to national preeminence as the Chairperson of the Wings of Eagles Airshow, attracting the largest collection of airworthy historic and current military aircraft in the country -- and that was only the beginning.

Skip Lehman's enthusiasm became his passion and his profession. He earned multiple pilot ratings, became a warbird owner of an L-19 Bird Dog and joined the Board of Directors of the National Warplane Museum. Going beyond the confines of the small upstate New York museum, he shared his talents and growing expertise with many other warbird organizations and particularly his love of flying and preserving the medium and heavy bombers such as the B-25, B-24 and his all time favorite, the B-17. He became a full time collector, connoisseur, consultant and professional expert on wide ranging and extensive detail of warbird history and air show operations. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Council of Air Shows and now serves as President of the Northeast Council of Air Shows. In 1994 he recognized that aviation and warbird activities were not just a personal and volunteer passion -- they had become his life. As owner and President of Mach II Management, aviation events became a central component in Skip Lehman's professional career.

Beyond all these and extensive other accomplishments, Skip Lehman became a PERSONALITY, a one-man Public Relations conglomerate within the air show and warbird communities. His glad hand, quick-witted sense of humor, brilliant master of story line and resourceful creativity made him friend and brother to military and civilian leadership alike in both national and international venues.

From his loving wife and daughter on behalf of his friends, colleagues and his personal heroes who have given their lives to warbird aviation, we reserve this special place of recognition on The National Aviation and Space Exploration Wall of Honor as a fitting tribute to Warren "Skip" Lehman.