47 Years in Aviation

47 Years in Aviation – A Memoir arose from the entries and comments in the five pilot logbooks that chronicle Richard Taylor’s aviation activities and accomplishments…with few exceptions these logbooks contain the records of every flight he accomplished. The memoir includes stories of the aircraft he flew, the people with whom he associated and the places he visited during those 47 years.


Richard Taylor began his aviation career in 1955, following graduation from The Ohio State University and his commissioning as a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Air Force. He completed flight training in 1956 and was assigned to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida where he flew KC-97 aerial refueling tankers for three years.


Dick left active duty in 1959 for a non-flying civilian job but he continued in military aviation as a part-time reservist. He flew several different types of aircraft in the Air National Guard, Army National Guard and Air Force Reserve. Having served 20 years as a reservist, he retired from the Air Force in 1979 as a Major with the aeronautical rating of Command Pilot.


He joined the faculty of the Department of Aviation at The Ohio State University in 1966. In addition to his classroom and flight instruction duties, Dick was a pilot in the university's Air Transportation Service and as a part-time student earned a Master of Arts degree in journalism. He was OSU’s Director of Flight Operations and Training from 1981 until his retirement as an associate professor in 1988. 


Dick logged nearly 12,000 hours of flight time in a wide variety of military and civilian aircraft. His civilian pilot credentials include Airline Transport Pilot, Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor certificates with numerous pilot ratings; he also served as an FAA-designated pilot examiner.


His writing career began in 1971 with a book titled Instrument Flying, followed by 13 additional books for general aviation pilots. Dick was the founder of The Pilot's Audio Update, a monthly CD program that was published continuously for 33 years.


In 1975 Dick began another career as a consultant and expert witness in litigation involving pilots; he has consulted and/or testified in 554 mishap investigations.