Raymond Johnson Named to Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame

Raymond A. Johnson, one of Wyoming’s early commercial pilots, has been named the 2013 inductee into the Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame.

In addition to flying for commercial airlines, Johnson’s aviation career included barnstorming, air racing, weather observation, flight instruction, flight testing, crop dusting, and serving as a forest fire lookout and the state’s aviation safety officer.

He was selected as the 22nd inductee into the Hall of Fame by its board of directors, with the approval of the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission. An induction ceremony is being planned for later this fall.

During World War II, Johnson was a test pilot for North American Aviation in Kansas City. He conducted test flights on the P-51 and B-25. After the war, he worked at airports in Mitchell, Neb., Huron, S.D., and Great Falls, Mont.

He flew for Mountain Airways, Inland Airways, Cheyenne Flying Service, and Plains Airways, where he was promoted to operations manager of its Army Air Corps training program at Cheyenne, Laramie, and Fort Morgan, Colo.

He earned his Civil Aeronautics Administration advanced flight training instructor rating and became the chief pilot for the newly formed collegiate training class at the University of Wyoming. He also was a CAA district flight supervisor at Lambert Field, Mo.

In 1951, he became flight instructor and later flight commander at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi, where he trained pilots during the Korean War.

In 1960, Johnson returned to Wyoming and became the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission’s safety and enforcement officer. He also served as a pilot for Govs. Jack Gage and Cliff Hansen.