William Tipton

William Dolley Tipton (sometimes erroneously referred to as William Duncan Tipton) began his military career as a World War I Sopwith Camel pilot. The U.S. Air Force officially credits him with four aerial victories during the war, although other sources claim he had five, and thus was a flying ace. He was one of the founding officers of what would become the Maryland Air National Guard. As a member of the Maryland National Guard, he was mobilized during World War II. He rose to the rank of colonel during the war. He died on December 12, 1945, in an aircraft accident. Tipton Airport (formerly Tipton Army Airfield) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, is named in his honor.

World War I Tipton joined the U.S. Army Air Service on June 5, 1917, as a flying cadet. He was commissioned on March 9, 1918, He was awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross during the war He later rose to the position of Division Air Officer for the 29th Infantry Division, of which the 104th was a part.

During the interwar period, Tipton played an influential role in the development of aviation in Maryland. He worked as the "staff aviator" for the Baltimore Sun newspaper, where he not only wrote a column devoted to aviation, but used an aircraft to gather news. This is believed to be the first time a newspaper employed an aircraft for newsgathering purposes. In addition, he served on the state aviation commission from 1921 to 1928, and leased and ran the Curtiss-Wright aviation facility northwest of Baltimore in the 1930s and 40s.

Honors In 1962, Tipton Army Air Field at Fort Meade, Maryland, was named in his honor at the suggestion of Major General Milton Reckord, then-Adjutant General of Maryland. The airfield was transferred to civilian control in 1995 and following a period of environmental remediation, became active as Tipton Airport in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.