Ed Bolen, who retired from NBAA last week to focus on cancer treatment, was inducted into the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame last evening as part of a six-member class of 2026 honored in a ceremony at WSU Tech’s National Center for Aviation Training.
A native Kansan, Bolen was introduced by Tim Rogers, the retired executive director of Salina Regional Airport and a 2024 inductee. Rogers credited Bolen’s work as legislative director for then-Senator Nancy Kassebaum, and later as president and CEO of GAMA and of NBAA, with enabling the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994 and the Wichita manufacturing growth that followed.
Bolen’s nephew, Patrick Bolen, accepted on his behalf. “Those of you who know him will appreciate how much he wishes he could be here tonight,” he said, thanking friends who had reached out over the past two months.
Experimental test pilot Thomas Carr was inducted for nearly five decades of flight testing at Beechcraft, Raytheon, and Garmin, including first flights on the Beechcraft Starship and the T-6 JPATS trainer, as well as development work on the Collier Trophy-winning Garmin Autoland system. Carr has logged 13,000 flight hours, holds type ratings in 14 aircraft, and remains an active flight instructor. “Before one of my first flights, I was told, ‘Nobody is going to remember this unless you screw it up,’” he said.
Nadine Ramsey, honored posthumously, was one of only 26 WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots) to fly high-performance pursuit fighters during World War II, and she mastered the P-38 Lightning. Her niece and nephew accepted the honor on her behalf.
Also inducted were marketing and public relations veteran Al Higdon; Harold Miller, the first Black air traffic controller in Wichita and later a regional supervisor; and Bob Taylor, who founded Airshare and its days-based fractional ownership program.
Clay Lacy received the Kansas Aviation Museum’s lifetime achievement award.
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