TRIBUTE PLANNED FOR AVIATION LUMINARIES
| Major contributors to the Southern California aviation and airport community will be honored in a ceremony on May 29 in a beautiful new display area in the Westchester business district north of Los Angeles International Airport. Flight Path worked in cooperation with Drollinger Properties to create the site in the Westchester Village shopping center at Sepulveda Boulevard and Howard B. Drollinger Way where names of honorees inscribed will be announced during the invitational event. . The Flight Path Board of Directors has unanimously approved recipients of the first four Honorary Service Awards, according to Nancy Niles, Flight Path president. They are the Bob Hope USO at LAX, Howard B. Drollinger, John A. Garstka and David Tallichet. Also honored that day will be Joseph J. “Tym” Tymczyszyn, with embedment of a plaque on Flight Path’s Aviation Walk of Fame adjacent to the ceremony site. The individuals are being honored posthumously. . “Our criterion for the Honorary Service Awards,” explained Niles, “is that each honoree has provided significant contributions or services for the advancement of the Southern California airport community. The 51 plaques on the Aviation Walk of Fame honor pioneers and luminaries who have made major contributions to aviation or aerospace.” . |
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 The Bob Hope USO at LAX has for many years been a “home away from home” for military service personnel enroute to or from their assignments. Staffed primarily by volunteers, the USO provides information, recreation and other assistance to these men and women and their families, many of whom are unfamiliar with LAX and the Los Angeles area. The center was named for the late comedian Bob Hope, who focused much of his career on entertaining American troops in places far from home.. |
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 Howard B. Drollinger operated a property management firm for many years in the LAX area. He was a key developer of Westchester’s upgraded Sepulveda Boulevard “gateway” to the airport, including shopping, parking and other amenities of benefit to travelers and area residents. He and his firm were noted for their philanthropic endeavors in the airport community. Drollinger served during World War II as an Army Air Forces navigator, flying 50 combat missions over Italy. He was a faithful supporter of Flight Path and the preservation of Southern California’s aviation heritage.. |
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 John A. Garstka earned recognition in the LAX community as a leader in education, business and support for training of future aviators. Garstka served 24 years in the U.S. Air Force during the Cold War and Vietnam War, retiring as a lieutenant colonel and master navigator. For heroism and heroic achievement he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. Garstka was a certified public accountant, associate professor of accounting at Loyola Marymount University and an instructor in the LMU ROTC program. He served as chief financial officer of the Flight Path Learning Center and Museum. |
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 Joseph J. “Tym” Tymczyszyn achieved distinction as a test pilot on a wide variety of aircraft, including airline transports, military fighters, general aviation planes, helicopters and navigation systems. He was best known as the Federal Aviation Administration’s Project Pilot on the first two jet transports, the Boeing 707 and the Douglas DC-8. Tymczyszyn served as an instructor pilot and later as an engineering pilot in the Pacific during World War II. Born in Torrance, he lived for many years with his family in Westchester. |
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TRIBUTE PLANNED
FOR HONORARY SERVICE AWARD WINNERS
| Major contributors to the Southern California aviation and airport community will be honored in a beautiful new display area in the Westchester business district north of Los Angeles International Airport. Flight Path is working in cooperation with Drollinger Properties to create the site in the Ralphs shopping center on Sepulveda Boulevard where names of honorees will be inscribed. | ||
| The Flight Path Board of Directors has unanimously approved the first three Honorary Service Awards, according to Rowena Ake, Flight Path president. They are the Bob Hope Hollywood USO at LAX, the late Howard B. Drollinger and the late David Tallichet. | ||
| A tribute ceremony will take place when the new display area is completed in early 2014.”Our criterion for this recognition,” explained Ake, “is that each honoree has provided significant contributions or services for the advancement of the Southern California airport community.” | ||
| The Bob Hope Hollywood USO at LAX has for many years welcomed military service personnel enroute to or from their assignments. The USO staff provides information, recreation and other assistance for these men and women, many of whom are unfamiliar with LAX and the Los Angeles area. | ||
| Howard B. Drollinger operated a property management firm in the LAX area. He was a key developer of Westchester’s upgraded Sepulveda Boulevard “gateway” to the airport, including shopping, parking and other amenities of benefit to travelers and area residents. Mr. Drollinger was a faithful supporter of Flight Path and the preservation of Southern California’s aviation heritage. | ||
| David Tallichet was owner-operator of a group of restaurants, including the iconic Proud Bird adjacent to the LAX south runway complex. Under Mr. Tallichet’s direction, the Proud Bird became a showcase of aviation history, including replicas and models of significant aircraft on the grounds plus a large collection of aviation photos and other memorabilia inside the restaurant. Mr. Tallichet also was a strong supporter of Flight Path and its educational mission. | ||
| The Honorary Service Awards are a supplement to Flight Path’s exisiting Aviation Walk of Fame on Sepulveda Boulevard in Westchester. The 51 bronze plaques on the Aviation Walk of Fame honor aviation pioneers and innovators, many with a connection to Southern California. |
NEW FLIGHT PATH PLAQUES HONOR AVIATION LUMINARIES
 Kevin P. Chilton |
 Iris Cumming Critchell |
 Robert Prescott |
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 Frank Robinson |
 Burt Rutan |
 Robert Six |
Six new plaques for the aviation “walk of fame” on Sepulveda Boulevard in Westchester were dedicated recently at the Flight Path Museum in the LAX Imperial Terminal. Each honoree is credited with a significant contribution to the advancement of aviation.
Honored at the ceremony and luncheon were Gen. Kevin P. Chilton (USAF-ret.), NASA astronaut and former head of the U.S. Strategic Command; Iris Cummings Critchell, aviation educator and World War II Woman Air Force Service Pilot (WASP); the late Robert W. Prescott, founder of the all-cargo Flying Tiger Line; Frank Robinson, pioneer helicopter designer and manufacturer; Burt Rutan, aircraft and spacecraft designer; and the late Robert Six, airline industry innovator and visionary. General Chilton was featured speaker at the event.
Honorees were selected by the board of directors of Flight Path, a locally based nonprofit organization which operates the museum in cooperation with the airport’s Community Relations office. Addition of the new plaques brings the total to 51 since the program began, according to Flight Path President Rowena Ake. The new plaques are to be installed in the sidewalk on Sepulveda Boulevard in the Westchester business district north of LAX. Lori Keir of the Flight Path board and John Ruhlen of the Westchester Streetscape Improvement Association are coordinating the project.
The plaque project began in 1995 with ceremonies in Westchester. Dignitaries present included Flight Path’s honorary chairman, Maj. Gen. Charles E. Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier. Presiding was Morrey Plotkin, longtime community leader, who originated the aviation walk of fame concept and garnered support for the project.