NAMES IN THE NEWS : Shepard, Sikorsky Enshrined
Former astronaut Alan Shepard and helicopter pioneer Igor Sikorsky are among six men to be enshrined Thursday in the National Museum of Naval Aviation’s Hall of Honor.
Shepard, 66, a retired rear admiral, was the first American in space in 1961. He walked on the moon in 1971.
Sikorsky, who died in 1972, was an aircraft builder in Russia and designed commercial seaplanes after emigrating to the United States. But he is best known as the father of the helicopter industry.
The other inductees included retired Adm. James S. Russell, who helped develop the Navy’s Crusader jet fighter, and George A. Spangenberg, who headed the evaluation division of the Naval Air Systems Command.
Two other aviation greats were honored posthumously: Navy Capt. Henry C. Mustin, who came up with the idea of launching aircraft from ships with catapults, and Coast Guard Capt. Frank A. Erickson, a pioneer in helicopter development.
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