International Order of Characters
Encyclopedia
The International Order of Characters (IOC) is an organization dedicated to improving the fields of Aviation
and Aerospace
. The IOC also provides financial assistance to persons and organizations in fields related to Aviation and other technology industries.
, in the early days of World War II
, a United States Army Air Forces
flight surgeon
, Captain James E. Crane, organized a group of American and Allied pilots under his care into a fraternal order that came to be called the International Order of Characters. At their induction into the order, each member received a private nickname known only to the other members. The private nicknames soon became public call-signs for the aviators as they recovered and returned to the war. By 1943, the IOC had grown to nearly one thousand members, but activity in the order stopped when Crane was reassigned to the United States
.
In the early 1950s, Dr. Crane, then a flight examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration
, reactivated the IOC at the urging of former members. The reborn IOC became an education foundation that provided scholarships and grants to children of deceased or disabled pilots as well as to former members of the armed forces who studied for a degree in aviation-related fields of research.
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
and Aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
. The IOC also provides financial assistance to persons and organizations in fields related to Aviation and other technology industries.
History
In the South Pacific theaterPacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
, in the early days of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
flight surgeon
Flight surgeon
A flight surgeon is a military medical officer assigned to duties in the clinical field variously known as aviation medicine, aerospace medicine, or flight medicine...
, Captain James E. Crane, organized a group of American and Allied pilots under his care into a fraternal order that came to be called the International Order of Characters. At their induction into the order, each member received a private nickname known only to the other members. The private nicknames soon became public call-signs for the aviators as they recovered and returned to the war. By 1943, the IOC had grown to nearly one thousand members, but activity in the order stopped when Crane was reassigned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In the early 1950s, Dr. Crane, then a flight examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
, reactivated the IOC at the urging of former members. The reborn IOC became an education foundation that provided scholarships and grants to children of deceased or disabled pilots as well as to former members of the armed forces who studied for a degree in aviation-related fields of research.
Publications
The order publishes the IOC Memorial Log commemorating those friends, family, or IOC members that have died. The Memorial Log is presented at every meeting of the IOC.Conferences
The IOC typically hosts two meeting a year—an aviation symposium in the spring and a meeting in the fall. These events have been held at locations throughout the world.Awards
During its annual meetings, the IOC recognizes aviation personalities and aviation achievement with the following trophies. The IOC trophies are awarded on the basis of achievement in aviation, aerospace and associated fields of activity. Recipients are not required to be IOC members.Aero Space Trophy Award
Recipients of the IOC Aero Space Trophy Award include:- 1964—Joseph Walker
- 1965—James McDivittJames McDivittJames Alton McDivitt is a former NASA astronaut and engineer who flew in the Gemini and Apollo programs. He commanded the Gemini 4 flight in which Edward H. White performed the first US space walk, and later the Apollo 9 flight which was the first manned Earth orbital test of the Apollo Lunar...
- 1966—Robert RushworthRobert A. RushworthRobert Aitken Rushworth was a United States Air Force test pilot for the North American X-15 program. Born in Madison, Maine on October 9, 1924. He studied mechanical engineering at the University of Maine, receiving a BE in 1951. He received a BS in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force...
- 1967—William "Pete" KnightWilliam J. KnightWilliam J. "Pete" Knight was a U.S. politician, combat pilot, test pilot, and astronaut. Knight holds the world's speed record for flight in a winged, powered aircraft...
- 1969—Igor SikorskyIgor SikorskyIgor Sikorsky , born Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was a Russian American pioneer of aviation in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft...
- 1970—Jerauld GentryJerauld R. GentryJerauld Richard "Jerry" Gentry was a United States Air Force test pilot and Vietnam combat veteran. As chief USAF pilot of the Lifting Body Research Program, he helped validate the concept of flying a wingless vehicle back to Earth from space and landing it like an aircraft—an approach used...
- 1971—John Stack
- 1972—Walter Schirra, Jr.Wally SchirraWalter Marty Schirra, Jr. was an American test pilot, United States Navy officer, and one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts chosen for the Project Mercury, America's effort to put humans in space. He is the only person to fly in all of America's first three space programs...
- 1973—William P. LearBill LearWilliam Powell Lear was an American inventor and businessman. He is best known for founding the Lear Jet Corporation, a manufacturer of business jets...
- 1981—Paul TibbetsPaul TibbetsPaul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force, best known for being the pilot of the Enola Gay, the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb in the history of warfare. The bomb, code-named Little Boy, was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima...
- 1982—Jack Hall
- 1983—Bob StephensRobert L. StephensRobert L. "Silver Fox" Stephens was an American United States Air Force test pilot who set several speed and altitude records while testing the Lockheed YF-12 and SR-71.-Early years:Robert L...
- 1984—Neil Anderson
- 1991—Kenneth L. TallmanKenneth L. TallmanLieutenant General Kenneth L. Tallman was the eighth Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy....
- 1995—Barry GoldwaterBarry GoldwaterBarry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
- 1996—Charles H. Kaman
- 1997—Jeffery L. Ethell
Character of the Year Award
Recipients of the IOC Character of the Year Award include:- 1962—Roscoe TurnerRoscoe TurnerRoscoe Turner was an aviator who was a three time winner of the Thompson Trophy.-Background:Turner was born in Corinth, Mississippi, the eldest son of a poor but respectable farmer. He came to realize that he did not want to be a farmer and found that he was attracted to mechanical devices instead...
- 1963—Barry GoldwaterBarry GoldwaterBarry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
- 1964—Adm. Daniel F. Smith
- 1965—Maj. Gen. C.L. Mullins
- 1966—V. Adm. C.E. Rosendahl
- 1967—James E. Crane
- 1969—Herman SalmonHerman SalmonHerman R. Salmon , nicknamed "Fish", was a barnstormer, air racer, and test pilot for the Lockheed Corporation. He started work at Lockheed in 1940 ferrying Hudsons to Montreal for the Royal Air Force...
- 1970—R. Adm. George DufekGeorge J. DufekGeorge John Dufek was an American naval officer, naval aviator, and Arctic expert. He served in World War II and the Korean War and in the 1940s and 1950s spent much of his career in the Antarctic, first with Admiral Byrd and later as supervisor of U.S. programs in the South Polar regions...
- 1971—Takofumi Hishikari
- 1972—Sergei Sikorsky
- 1973—John M. ConroyJohn M. ConroyJohn "Jack" Michael Conroy developed the Pregnant Guppy cargo plane for Aero Spacelines and later founded Conroy Aircraft to build the Conroy Skymonster...
- 1974—Joseph U. Greely
- 1975—Joseph Higgins
- 1976—Clifford Henderson
- 1977—Jack Garfield
- 1979—John Boren
- 1980—Douglas Moody
- 1982—Vincent O'Toole
- 1983—Henry J. Esposito
- 1985—John E. Bach
- 1986—Bruce Tingle
- 1987—J. Sheldon Lewis
- 1988—Fred E. Muhl
- 1989—Richard G. Paul
- 1990—Max Feibelman
- 1992—Adriane Gladstone
- 1993—Jerome P. Ashfield
- 1995—Armand S. Toron
- 2000—Alton G. Hudson
- 2002—Donald J. Rauch
Pilot of the Year Award
Recipients of the IOC Pilot of the Year Award include:- 1954—Col. Leon W. Gray
- 1955—Capt. Cassmier S. Szmagaj
- 1956—Capt. Edward W. Kinsley
- 1957—Capt. Ned Avary
- 1958—Capt. Page Smith
- 1959—Capt. S.G. Wood
- 1960—Capt. Charles Tennsted
- 1961—General Adolf GallandAdolf GallandAdolf "Dolfo" Joseph Ferdinand Galland was a German Luftwaffe General and flying ace who served throughout World War II in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions, and fought on the Western and the Defence of the Reich fronts...
- 1961—Robert Stanford TuckRobert Stanford TuckWing Commander Roland Robert Stanford Tuck DSO, DFC & Two Bars, AFC was a British fighter pilot and test pilot.Tuck joined the RAF in 1935. Tuck first engaged in combat during the Battle of France, over Dunkirk, claiming his first victories...
- 1962—Scott CrossfieldAlbert Scott CrossfieldAlbert Scott Crossfield was an American naval officer and test pilot.-Biography:Born in Berkeley, California, Crossfield grew up in California and Washington. He served with the U.S. Navy as a flight instructor and fighter pilot during World War II...
- 1963—Herbet O. Fisher
- 1964—Capt. Marius Lodeesen
- 1965—Gen James Steinoff
- 1966—Brig. Gen. Robin OldsRobin OldsRobin Olds was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the U.S. Air Force. He was a "triple ace", with a combined total of 16 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general....
- 1967—Col. Joseph Cotton
- 1969—A.W. "Tony" LeVierTony LeVierAnthony W. "Tony" LeVier was an air racer and test pilot for the Lockheed Corporation from the 1940s to the 1970s.- Early life :...
- 1970—Col. Francis GabreskiGabby GabreskiFrancis Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski was the top American fighter ace in Europe during World War II, a jet fighter ace in Korea, and a career officer in the United States Air Force with more than 26 years service.Although best known for his credited destruction of 34½ aircraft in aerial combat and...
- 1971—HRH Prince BernardPrince Bernhard of Lippe-BiesterfeldPrince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld , later Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, was prince consort of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and father of six children, including the current monarch Queen Beatrix....
- 1972—Reitsch-Flagkapitan Hanna ReitschHanna ReitschHanna Reitsch was a German aviator and the only woman awarded the Iron Cross First Class and the Luftwaffe Combined Pilots-Observation Badge in Gold with Diamonds during World War II...
- 1973—Col. Joseph KittingerJoseph KittingerJoseph William Kittinger II is a former Command Pilot and career military officer in the United States Air Force. He is most famous for his participation in Project Manhigh and Project Excelsior, holding the records for having the highest, fastest and longest skydive, from a height greater than...
- 1974—Adm. F.H. Michaelis
- 1975—H.T. "Dick" MerrillDick MerrillHenry Tyndall "Dick" Merrill was an early aviation pioneer. Among his feats he was the highest paid air mail pilot, flew the first round-trip transatlantic flight in 1936, was Dwight D...
- 1976—Arthur GodfreyArthur GodfreyArthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
- 1977—Capt. Charles Mathews
- 1978—Capt. Kimball Scribner
- 1979—Capt. Roy Simpkins
- 1980—David E. Coffman
- 1981—Capt. Joseph Grant
- 1982—Mrs. Siggy Silkorsky
- 1983—Bob HooverBob HooverRobert A. "Bob" Hoover is a former air show pilot and United States Air Force test pilot, known for his wide-brimmed straw hat and wide smile. In aviation circles, he is often referred to as "The pilots' pilot."-Aviation career:...
- 1984—Jack Doswell
- 1985—Con Rodewald
- 1986—Capt. John Testrake
- 1987—Jeana YeagerJeana YeagerJeana Yeager is an aviator. She is most famous for co-piloting a non-stop, non-refueled flight around the world in the Rutan Voyager aircraft from 14 to 23 December 1986. The flight took 9 days, 3 minutes, and 44 seconds and covered 24,986 miles , more than doubling the old distance record set by...
and Dick RutanDick RutanRichard Glenn "Dick" Rutan is an aviator who piloted the Voyager aircraft around the world non-stop with co-pilot Jeana Yeager... - 1988—H. Clay LacyClay LacyClay Lacy is the founder and chief executive officer of Clay Lacy Aviation, established in 1968 as the first executive jet charter company in the Western United States...
- 1989—Michael Graham
- 1990—Maj. Gen. Leigh Wade
- 1991—George Haddaway
- 1992—Albert Bayer
- 1993—Ann Lindbergh
- 1994—Capt. Eric Brown
- 1997—Rudy Opitz
- 1998—J. Stephen FossettSteve FossettJames Stephen Fossett was an American commodities trader, businessman, and adventurer. Fossett is the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon...
- 1999—Col. Eugene P. DeatrickEugene Peyton DeatrickEugene Peyton Deatrick, Jr. is a retired United States Air Force colonel, test pilot, and combat veteran. He is best recognized for his role in the rescue of United States Navy Lieutenant Dieter Dengler during the Vietnam War...
- 2000—Johnson M. Taylor
- 2001—Raymond L. Hunicke
Scholarship fund
The IOC Scholarship Fund provides educational assistance to the descendants of pilots and to those pursuing careers in aviation or related industries. The IOC also provides funding to organizations that issue individual scholarships to deserving candidates in fields related to aviation and other technology industries.Notable members
The following is an incomplete list of notable individuals who are or were members of the IOC. If available, the individual's IOC nickname is also shown.- Douglas BaderDouglas BaderGroup Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, FRAeS, DL was a Royal Air Force fighter ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 20 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged.Bader joined the...
- Charles BassettCharles BassettCharles Arthur "Art" Bassett, II was an American engineer and United States Air Force officer. He was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1963 and assigned to Gemini 9 but died in an airplane crash during training for his first spaceflight.-Early life and education:Bassett was born in Dayton, Ohio,...
, Boom Boom - Prince Bernhard of Lippe-BiesterfeldPrince Bernhard of Lippe-BiesterfeldPrince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld , later Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, was prince consort of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and father of six children, including the current monarch Queen Beatrix....
, HRH The Lion - Eric Brown, Winkle
- Scott CrossfieldAlbert Scott CrossfieldAlbert Scott Crossfield was an American naval officer and test pilot.-Biography:Born in Berkeley, California, Crossfield grew up in California and Washington. He served with the U.S. Navy as a flight instructor and fighter pilot during World War II...
, Rocket - Bill Dana, Jose
- Eugene P. DeatrickEugene Peyton DeatrickEugene Peyton Deatrick, Jr. is a retired United States Air Force colonel, test pilot, and combat veteran. He is best recognized for his role in the rescue of United States Navy Lieutenant Dieter Dengler during the Vietnam War...
, Bismark - Jimmy DoolittleJimmy DoolittleGeneral James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle, USAF was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served as a brigadier general, major general and lieutenant general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War...
- George J. DufekGeorge J. DufekGeorge John Dufek was an American naval officer, naval aviator, and Arctic expert. He served in World War II and the Korean War and in the 1940s and 1950s spent much of his career in the Antarctic, first with Admiral Byrd and later as supervisor of U.S. programs in the South Polar regions...
, Penguin - Steve FossettSteve FossettJames Stephen Fossett was an American commodities trader, businessman, and adventurer. Fossett is the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon...
, Cucumber - Gabby GabreskiGabby GabreskiFrancis Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski was the top American fighter ace in Europe during World War II, a jet fighter ace in Korea, and a career officer in the United States Air Force with more than 26 years service.Although best known for his credited destruction of 34½ aircraft in aerial combat and...
, Gabby - Adolf GallandAdolf GallandAdolf "Dolfo" Joseph Ferdinand Galland was a German Luftwaffe General and flying ace who served throughout World War II in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions, and fought on the Western and the Defence of the Reich fronts...
, The Red Knight - Jerauld R. GentryJerauld R. GentryJerauld Richard "Jerry" Gentry was a United States Air Force test pilot and Vietnam combat veteran. As chief USAF pilot of the Lifting Body Research Program, he helped validate the concept of flying a wingless vehicle back to Earth from space and landing it like an aircraft—an approach used...
, Flying Bathtub - Arthur GodfreyArthur GodfreyArthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
, Bunkie - Barry GoldwaterBarry GoldwaterBarry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
, Gold Dust - Richard P. HallionRichard P. HallionDr. Richard P. Hallion is Senior Adviser for Air and Space Issues, Directorate for Security, Counterintelligence and Special Programs Oversight, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for analysis and insight regarding the conceptualization, evolution and utilization of sensitive national...
, Memory Bank - Bob HooverBob HooverRobert A. "Bob" Hoover is a former air show pilot and United States Air Force test pilot, known for his wide-brimmed straw hat and wide smile. In aviation circles, he is often referred to as "The pilots' pilot."-Aviation career:...
, Mustang - Dietrich HrabakDietrich HrabakDietrich "Dieter" Hrabak was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1935 until the end of World War II on 8 May 1945 and again in the Bundeswehr from 1955 until his retirement on 30 September 1970...
- Charles H. Kaman, Pres. Kaman Aircraft
- Joseph KittingerJoseph KittingerJoseph William Kittinger II is a former Command Pilot and career military officer in the United States Air Force. He is most famous for his participation in Project Manhigh and Project Excelsior, holding the records for having the highest, fastest and longest skydive, from a height greater than...
, The Jump - William J. KnightWilliam J. KnightWilliam J. "Pete" Knight was a U.S. politician, combat pilot, test pilot, and astronaut. Knight holds the world's speed record for flight in a winged, powered aircraft...
, Lickety Split
- Clay LacyClay LacyClay Lacy is the founder and chief executive officer of Clay Lacy Aviation, established in 1968 as the first executive jet charter company in the Western United States...
, Racey - Bill LearBill LearWilliam Powell Lear was an American inventor and businessman. He is best known for founding the Lear Jet Corporation, a manufacturer of business jets...
, King Lear - Tony LeVierTony LeVierAnthony W. "Tony" LeVier was an air racer and test pilot for the Lockheed Corporation from the 1940s to the 1970s.- Early life :...
, Lightning - James McDivittJames McDivittJames Alton McDivitt is a former NASA astronaut and engineer who flew in the Gemini and Apollo programs. He commanded the Gemini 4 flight in which Edward H. White performed the first US space walk, and later the Apollo 9 flight which was the first manned Earth orbital test of the Apollo Lunar...
, Gemini Cricket - Dick MerrillDick MerrillHenry Tyndall "Dick" Merrill was an early aviation pioneer. Among his feats he was the highest paid air mail pilot, flew the first round-trip transatlantic flight in 1936, was Dwight D...
, Old Ping Pong Balls - Robin OldsRobin OldsRobin Olds was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the U.S. Air Force. He was a "triple ace", with a combined total of 16 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general....
, Phantom - Günther RallGünther RallLieutenant-General Günther Rall was the third most successful fighter ace in history. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. He achieved a total of 275 victories during World War II: 272 on the Eastern Front,...
- Hanna ReitschHanna ReitschHanna Reitsch was a German aviator and the only woman awarded the Iron Cross First Class and the Luftwaffe Combined Pilots-Observation Badge in Gold with Diamonds during World War II...
, Supersonic Sue - Robert RushworthRobert A. RushworthRobert Aitken Rushworth was a United States Air Force test pilot for the North American X-15 program. Born in Madison, Maine on October 9, 1924. He studied mechanical engineering at the University of Maine, receiving a BE in 1951. He received a BS in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force...
, North Star - Burt RutanBurt RutanElbert Leander "Burt" Rutan is an American aerospace engineer noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft...
- Herman SalmonHerman SalmonHerman R. Salmon , nicknamed "Fish", was a barnstormer, air racer, and test pilot for the Lockheed Corporation. He started work at Lockheed in 1940 ferrying Hudsons to Montreal for the Royal Air Force...
, Fish - Walter Schirra, Jr.Wally SchirraWalter Marty Schirra, Jr. was an American test pilot, United States Navy officer, and one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts chosen for the Project Mercury, America's effort to put humans in space. He is the only person to fly in all of America's first three space programs...
, Sky Ray - Robert Lee Scott, Jr.Robert Lee Scott, Jr.Robert Lee Scott Jr. was a Brigadier General in the United States Air Force. Scott is best known for his autobiography God is My Co-Pilot about his exploits in World War II with the Flying Tigers and the United States Army Air Forces in China and Burma...
, Shoe Clerk - Igor SikorskyIgor SikorskyIgor Sikorsky , born Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was a Russian American pioneer of aviation in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft...
, Winged S - Johannes SteinhoffJohannes SteinhoffJohannes Steinhoff was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace of World War II, and later a senior West German air force officer and military commander of NATO. Steinhoff was one of very few Luftwaffe pilots who survived to fly operationally through the whole of the war period 1939-45...
- Robert L. StephensRobert L. StephensRobert L. "Silver Fox" Stephens was an American United States Air Force test pilot who set several speed and altitude records while testing the Lockheed YF-12 and SR-71.-Early years:Robert L...
, The Silver Fox II - Kenneth L. TallmanKenneth L. TallmanLieutenant General Kenneth L. Tallman was the eighth Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy....
, Iron Wind - Paul TibbetsPaul TibbetsPaul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force, best known for being the pilot of the Enola Gay, the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb in the history of warfare. The bomb, code-named Little Boy, was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima...
, Big Bang - Robert Stanford TuckRobert Stanford TuckWing Commander Roland Robert Stanford Tuck DSO, DFC & Two Bars, AFC was a British fighter pilot and test pilot.Tuck joined the RAF in 1935. Tuck first engaged in combat during the Battle of France, over Dunkirk, claiming his first victories...
, Spitfire - Roscoe TurnerRoscoe TurnerRoscoe Turner was an aviator who was a three time winner of the Thompson Trophy.-Background:Turner was born in Corinth, Mississippi, the eldest son of a poor but respectable farmer. He came to realize that he did not want to be a farmer and found that he was attracted to mechanical devices instead...
, The Roar - Joseph Walker, Mach 7