An aviation hero dies. John E. ‘Captain Jack’ Gallagher ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth November 27th according to his family. Captain Jack did more for aviation, specifically rotary-wing aviation than most men half his age. Here’s part of the obituary for Captain Jack in the New York Times Sunday edition, December 8th 2013.
“He was principle engineer for the Air Force P-47 Thunderbolt Fighter and started the first scheduled helicopter service in New York (New York Airways) in 1949. Established the helicopter logistic and maintenance systems for then President John F. Kennedy White House called HMX1. He holds the first commercial helicopter pilot’s license.”
I’d heard of Captain Jack Gallagher when I was learning to fly helicopters, and his name was tossed around in various hangars and on flight lines, but I didn’t bother to look him up, or pay much attention to his exploits. I wish I had. A big part of our love for flying has to be remembering its history. A big part of that is simply knowing that history and the flyers who made it. That’s on reason blogs like this one are important. Tailwinds and fair skies, Captain Jack Gallagher, and thanks for all you did—over and out.