Ga Aviation Hall of Fame

10/09/2026

Our inductee Jackie!!

She grew up poor in the sawmill towns of the Florida Panhandle and died holding more speed, altitude and distance records than any other pilot.

Jacqueline Cochran took her first flying lesson in 1932 and had her license about three weeks later. In 1938 she won the Bendix Trophy race across the country. In 1941 she flew a bomber across the Atlantic, the first woman to do it.

In 1943 she took charge of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (W.A.S.P.), more than a thousand women who ferried, tested and towed targets with military aircraft so that male pilots could go overseas.

Ten years later, in May 1953, she took a Canadair Sabre past Mach 1 over the Mojave, with Chuck Yeager flying chase. She was the first woman to break the sound barrier.

10/07/2026

✈️ DID YOU KNOW? Atlanta’s airport began with an abandoned racetrack?

In 1925, the City of Atlanta leased 287 acres of the former Atlanta Speedway and committed to developing the property into an airfield. The site became known as Candler Field.

Just over a year later, on September 15, 1926, Florida Airways brought the first scheduled commercial flight into Candler Field.

What began on the site of an abandoned automobile racetrack would evolve over the next century into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

And in 2026, Atlanta is commemorating 100 years since that first commercial flight, making this a particularly fitting year to look back at where the story began.

From racetrack to runway, it’s another remarkable chapter in Georgia’s aviation legacy.

➡️ Explore the photos to follow the journey from Atlanta Speedway → Candler Field → ATL.

HONOR ★ PRESERVE ★ INSPIRE

10/03/2026

✈️ FROM THE ARCHIVES | Stories Preserved

Every photograph, artifact, uniform, and piece of memorabilia helps tell a story.

This image from the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame archives captures one of the exhibits created to preserve and share the accomplishments of individuals who have helped shape Georgia’s remarkable aviation history.

These stories aren’t just part of our past, they’re here to be discovered.
The Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame is located on the upper level of the Century of Flight Hangar at the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia. Visitors can explore the stories of Hall of Fame inductees and learn more about the people whose achievements have contributed to aviation and aerospace in Georgia and beyond.

Next time you visit the Museum of Aviation, we invite you to come upstairs and discover the people behind Georgia’s aviation legacy.

🏛️ Have you visited the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame? Tell us about your visit in the comments.

HONOR ★ PRESERVE ★ INSPIRE

09/23/2026

✈️ THE STORY BEHIND THE PLAQUE | Lieutenant Hazel J. Raines

Every plaque has a story, and Hazel J. Raines’s is one of courage, service, and breaking barriers in the skies.

A Georgia aviation pioneer, Raines became the first woman in Georgia to earn a pilot’s license and quickly established herself as a skilled aviator and stunt flyer.

When World War II began, her talents took her overseas. In 1942, Raines was one of just 25 American women selected to fly for Britain’s Air Transport Auxiliary, ferrying military aircraft in support of the war effort. She later returned to the United States and served as a Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP), test-flying repaired aircraft and towing targets for military training.

Her service continued during the Korean War, when she became the first female reserve pilot called to active duty.

In 1989, Hazel J. Raines was inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame, honoring a remarkable life that helped open the skies for generations of women who followed.

👉 Swipe through the images to discover more of the story behind her plaque.

HONOR ★ PRESERVE ★ INSPIRE

09/16/2026

✈️ DID YOU KNOW? | Georgia Aviation History

More than a century ago, a young inventor in Athens helped launch a new chapter in Georgia aviation history.

At just 19 years old, Ben T. Epps built and flew an airplane of his own design. His pioneering flight traveled approximately 100 yards and reached about 50 feet, a short flight that would leave a lasting mark on aviation in Georgia.

Epps continued building aircraft, teaching others to fly, and advancing aviation in Athens. The flying field he later established became Georgia’s first civilian airfield and today carries his name: Athens–Ben Epps Airport.

In 1989, Ben Epps was honored as one of the seven inaugural inductees into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame, recognizing a legacy that began in Athens and helped shape aviation across our state.

From those earliest days of flight to the aviation community we know today, Georgia’s aviation story continues. ✈️

📍 Athens, Georgia
🏛️ Ben T. Epps | Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame | Enshrined 1989

What part of Georgia’s aviation history should we explore next?

09/11/2026

We Remember.

On September 11, we pause to remember the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the extraordinary courage shown in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

We honor the first responders, service members, aviation professionals, and countless Americans who answered that day and the days that followed with courage, compassion, and service.

The Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame joins our nation in remembering and honoring all those affected by September 11, 2001.

We will never forget.

09/09/2026

✈️ FROM THE ARCHIVES | Preserving Georgia’s Aviation Legacy

The exhibits may change, but the mission endures.

Since its establishment in 1989, the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame has worked to preserve and share the stories of the men and women whose achievements have helped shape aviation and aerospace in Georgia and beyond.

These photographs offer a look back at Hall of Fame exhibits through the years. Displays have evolved, new inductees have joined the Hall, and new chapters of Georgia aviation history continue to be written—but the purpose remains the same: to honor extraordinary achievement, preserve our aviation heritage, and inspire future generations.

Today, the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame is located at the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia, where visitors can discover the people, accomplishments, and stories behind Georgia’s remarkable aviation legacy.

As we continue opening our archives, we look forward to sharing more photographs and stories from the Hall’s history.

📸 Do you remember visiting one of these earlier exhibits? We’d love to hear your memories in the comments.

Honor the past. Inspire the future.

09/07/2026

🇺🇸✈️ Happy Labor Day from the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame!

Today, we celebrate the generations of hardworking men and women whose skill, dedication, innovation, and service have helped aviation soar.

From the flight deck to the hangar, the control tower to the factory floor—and everywhere in between—we recognize the people whose work keeps aviation moving forward.

Wishing you a safe and happy Labor Day!

05/17/2026

This hero has a special place in my heart as he was one of the first I witnessed inducted by the George Aviation Hall of Fame. A true patriot; that we may be worthy.

George H. Gay at Pearl Harbor, 1942

Ensign George H. Gay, the sole surviving aviator from Torpedo Squadron 8’s attack at the Battle of Midway, is shown recovering at the Naval Hospital at Pearl Harbor later in 1942, where he was treated after being rescued following his hours in the water during the battle.

04/25/2026

...... will witness the effect of this tonight at our banquet

𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐆𝐔𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐄𝐑: “𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐃 𝐍𝐎. 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄’𝐒 𝐍𝐎 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐄 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐆𝐔𝐍 𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐓𝐒” — 𝐒𝐎 𝐉𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐁𝐑𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐓𝐎𝐌 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍

“𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘓𝘦𝘩𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘛𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘛𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦, 𝘙𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘺 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘯.”

— “𝘓𝘦𝘩𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 — 𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 ’𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘷𝘺.’ 𝘚𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯.”

— “36 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 50𝘴. 𝐀𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞.”

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐆𝐮𝐧. 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐦𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞. 𝟑𝟔 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 — 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.

𝘝𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 @𝘏𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘮