DALE “RED” JACKSON        
1906 - 1932

Jackson was born in Iowa. His family moved to Faribault, MN where he graduated from High School. He earned his Private license in 1928 in St. Louis and barnstormed across the country. In 1930, he set a barrel-rolling record of 417 rolls. He also flew as a member of a stunt flying team with Freddy Lund, another Minnesotan Aviation Hall of Famer.

In July, 1929, Jackson and Forrest O’Brine, a flyer from St. Louis, set an aerial endurance record. Using a Curtiss Robin aircraft, they circled the city of St. Louis for some 420 hours, refueling 48 times in flight. They only landed to attend the funeral of a comrade. When their record was broken, they again took the Robin into the sky and set a second record of 647 hours aloft (27 days). In 1931, Dale Jackson flew the famous Laird “Solution” to third place in the National Air Races Thompson Trophy race. Jackson was killed in 1932 during a stunting session in Miami. He is buried in the Maple Lawn cemetery at Faribault.

Inducted  2011

Darell L. Johnson
1918 -

Darrell Johnson moved to the Twin Cities as a youth and began his aviation career at Wold-Chamberlain Field in Minneapolis. He joined the Air Corps in World War II and went to the Canal Zone as a P-38 fighter pilot.

Following the war he worked for Gopher Aviation at Rochester as a flight instructor and flight examiner. He remained with Gopher for 25 years before returning to his previous work as a pilot examiner. He has accomplished nearly 4,500 flight checks during 47 years. He has logged over 35,000 flight hours.

Inducted 2001

Ortonville's Wayne Johnson flew as a fighter pilot in World War II with the 23rd Fighter Group in China under Lt. General Claire Chennault. Following the war, Johnson served in the North Dakota Air Guard. Johnson was a successful attorney in Silver Bay, Minnesota, and the driving force behind airport development there. Johnson is currently an active member of the North Shore business community, helps design and funds the Flying Tigers memorials at Dayton, Ohio and Taipei, Taiwan.

Inducted 2001