Robert H. Starr

Robert H. Starr (March 4, 1924 – June 15, 2009)

Military service Mr. Starr's flight suit patch .. Flying Tigers, 10th and 14th Air Forces, 311th Fighter Group, China-Burma-India Theater. After his military service he flew P-51s and F-86s in the California Air National Guard. He spent a year on active duty with Air Defense off the Southern California coast. During his duty with Air Defense Command. he was scrambled to investigate bogies in radar range off the California coast. From Starr's memoirs page: "On several occasions, me and my wing man had visual confirmation of what could only be described as a UFO, mostly cigar shaped objects with no visible means of propulsion and yet each time we gave chase at full throttle, they left us behind as if we were standing still. I had many experiences with UFO sightings during my time with the Air National Guard".

Flying small planes In 1950, Starr was the primary test pilot of the previous world's smallest airplane record holders: the Sky Baby and Stits SA-1A Junior. The partnership on the Sky Baby project ended, but he knew he could build a smaller more stable airplane.

He made modifications on his design and then built the Bumble Bee II the following year. He flew the Bumble Bee II on May 8, 1988, and broke his previous record, making the Bumble Bee II the smallest manned biplane, according to Guinness Book of Records. The Bumble Bee I previous world record holder plane is on permanent display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.

In civilian life he had participated in most of the largest air shows in the United States and had also been a test pilot for experimental aircraft over the years.