Learning Center
Our Enshrinees
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Entrepreneur, Inventor, & Pilot
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Enshrined: 1980
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Birth: January 8, 1881
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Death: January 15, 1970
William Thomas Piper Sr.
- Served as a captain in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War I.
- Invested in the Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corporation in 1929 and then bought its assets in 1930 reorganizing it into the Taylor Aircraft Corporation.
- Invested in designing and building low-cost airplanes during the Great Depression. The most popular, the Piper Cub, cost only $1,325 with free flying lessons.
- Established the Piper Aircraft Corporation in 1937 and, by 1940, Piper represented a third of all civilian aircraft in the United States.
- In World War II the first Piper L-4 went into combat during the invasion of North Africa.
- Throughout World War II, more than 5,000 Cubs were used in training, observation, artillery-spotting, patrol, and ambulance roles and served in every campaign on every front.
- Added various lines of the Cub to the military, corporate and general aviation fields after World War II.
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Entrepreneur, Inventor, & Pilot
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Enshrined: 1980
-
Birth: January 8, 1881
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Death: January 15, 1970
You’re Invited 2023 Enshrinement
Join us for the “Oscar Night of Aviation” as we induct a new group of aviation leaders into the National Aviation Hall of Fame!
Friday, September 22, 2023
National Building Museum | Washington, DC
Sponsorships are now available!
Learn More