Page 9 - June 2022

= Receiving the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy in 1980
= Induction into the Aviation Hall of Fame in 1981, the American National Business Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Kansas Business Hall of Fame in 1986
LeRoy Clay
Mr. Clay was an early employee of Beech Aircraft, starting before World War II. He has been quoted as saying, “Let’s take the Model 88 (Queen Air) and put a turboprop on it.” In 1969, he became the chief project engineer for the new King Air 200 and was the one who came up with the idea of using a T-tail. He was especially proud that all five branches of the U.S. military flew various models of King Airs. Over his career, Mr. Clay was involved in every Beech turboprop aircraft including all of the King Airs, the 1900 airliner and the Starship. He retired as the vice president of engineering in 1984 after 45 years of service. (Included in group photo, opposite page)
Bud Francis
Mr. Francis became a Beechcrafter in 1965 after earning a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Kansas and serving a four-year stint in the U.S. Air Force. Over a span of 32 years that he
worked for the company, he spent many as the chief of Experimental Flight Test and test flew virtually every airplane that Beech developed during his tenure. Of special note, he made the very first flights of the Model 200 Super King Air in October 1972, Model 300 Super King Air in October 1981 and the Model 350 Super King Air in September 1988. (Included in group photo, opposite page)
Tom Gillespie
Mr. Gillespie, who served as a marine aviator in World War II and the Korean War, served many roles at Beech Aircraft. Starting as a test pilot and serving in public relations and marketing roles, Mr. Gillespie was very much the marketing influence and a prominent advocate of the King Air. According to many, he is credited with the vision of the turboprop future when other Beech executives wanted to scrap the King Air before it was even produced.
Tom Gillespie
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JUNE 2022
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 7