Walter J. Boyne

Walter J. Boyne (February 2, 1929 – January 9, 2020) was a United States Air Force officer, Command Pilot, combat veteran, aviation historian, and author of more than 50 books and over 1,000 magazine articles. He was a director of the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution and a Chairman of the National Aeronautic Association.

Early life Walter Boyne was born in East Saint Louis, Illinois, and grew up the son of a poor family during the time of the Great Depression. He attended Holy Angels grade school where he first discovered an interest in writing. His love of flying was encouraged by dime novels of the day such as Robert J. Hogan's G-8 and His Battle Aces that depicted "America's World War I Flying Spy" engaged in air-to-air combat.

Author and historian Boyne began his writing career in 1962 while still in the Air Force. He wrote about lesser-known people and airplanes, starting with an article on the Curtiss P-36. Boyne's article was accepted by a magazine in Britain which paid him $29. (1980) Messerschmitt Me 262: Arrow to the Future (1980) Flying, an introduction to flight, airplanes, and aviation careers (1981) Boeing B-52: A Documentary History (1982) The Aircraft Treasures of Silver Hill (1983) Vertical Flight: The Age of the Helicopter (1984) De Havilland DH-4: From Flaming Coffin to Living Legend (1985) Phantom in Combat (1986) The Leading Edge (1987) Classics: U.S. Aircraft of World War II (1987) The Smithsonian Illustrated History of Flight (1988) The Smithsonian Book of Flight for Young People (1988) The Power Behind The Wheel (1990) Flight (1991) Weapons of Desert Storm (New York Times' Best Seller List) (1991) Gulf War (1992) Classic Aircraft (1992) Art in Flight: The Sculpture of John Safer (1993) Silver Wings (1994) Clash of Wings: World War II in the Air (1995) Clash of Titans: World War II at Sea (1995) Fly Past, Fly Present (1997) Beyond the Wild Blue, A History of the USAF, 1947–1997 (1998) Beyond the Horizons:The Story of Lockheed (1999) Brassey's Air Combat Reader (editor) (2001) Aces in Command: Fighter Pilots as Combat Leaders (2001) German Military Aircraft (2001) The Best of Wings (2001) Aviation 100, Volume I (2001) Classic Aircraft, 2001 (2002) Aviation 100, Volume II (2002) The Two O'Clock War (2003) Aviation 100, Volume III (2003) Encyclopedia of Air Warfare (2003) The Influence of Air Power on History (2003) Chronicle of Flight: A Year-By-Year History of Aviation (2003) Rising Tide (2003) Operation Iraqi Freedom, What Went Right, What Went Wrong and Why (2003) The Alpha Bravo Delta Guide to the U.S. Air Force (2003) The Alpha Bravo Delta Guide to the U.S. Navy (2003) The Alpha Bravo Delta Guide to the U.S. Army (2003) The Alpha Bravo Delta Guide to the U.S. Marines (2003) The Yom Kippur War: And the Airlift Strike That Saved Israel (2004) Today's Best Military Writing (2007) Soaring to Glory: the Story of the Air Force Memorial (2011) How the Helicopter Changed Modern Warfare (2018) The 25 Most Influential Aircraft of All Time

Fiction

(1986) The Wild Blue: The Novel of the U.S. Air Force (1989) Trophy for Eagles (1991) Eagles at War (1992) Air Force Eagles (2003) Dawn Over Kitty Hawk: The Novel of the Wright Brothers (2006) Roaring Thunder: A Novel of the Jet Age (2006) Supersonic Thunder: A Novel of the Jet Age (2009) Hypersonic Thunder: A Novel of the Jet Age

National Air and Space Museum career In 1974, after retiring from the Air Force, Boyne joined the National Air and Space Museum as curator of air transport. and director on February 10, 1983. Boyne performed a number of notable actions during his tenure as museum director including: Founded the best-selling aviation magazine Air & Space

He resigned as director of the museum in 1986.

Boyne died on January 9, 2020, at 90 years of age. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery in May 2021.

Honors In 1984, Boyne was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Aerospace Sciences from Salem College, West Virginia. In 1998, the NAA named him a Distinguished Statesman of Aviation that honors outstanding living Americans that have made contributions of significant value to aeronautics. Also in 1998, the honored Boyne with the Paul Tissandier Diploma awarded to those who have served the cause of Aviation in general and Sporting Aviation in particular. In 2005, the Aircraft Industries Association presented Boyne with the Lauren D. Lyman Award for outstanding achievement in aviation public relations. In 2007, he was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame. In 2016, the Aero Club of Washington, D.C. awarded Boyne the Donald D. Engen Trophy for Aviation Excellence.