Col. William S. Hartsell, USAF, Ret., ’66, was awarded the FAA’s prestigious Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award in recognition of more than 50 years of safe flying and significant contributions to aviation, amassing over 13,000 flight hours. He was inducted into the UFOs – the worldwide organization United Flying Octogenarians – and remains an active pilot.
Hartsell was also selected by the OK Project Warrior to participate in an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., alongside 100 other Vietnam veterans. He attended the Stallion 51 Flight in Kissimmee, Fla., where he checked off bucket-list experiences by flying both the P-51 Mustang and the AT-6 Texan.
In another aviation milestone, he flew the entire historic Route 66 – “The Mother Road” – in a Cessna 172, from its starting point in Chicago to its terminus in Santa Monica, Calif. He was the only Aeronautical Mobile Rover participant in the 25th Anniversary Route 66 On-The-Air special event. It is believed that no one else has ever flown the full length of Route 66, and in recognition of this feat, Hartsell’s aircraft may be designated as an official historical marker for the famed route.
