Robert Leo Taylor (July 2, 1924 – June 20, 2020) was an American aviation pioneer who was the founder and president of the

Antique Airplane Association The Antique Airplane Association, Inc. (AAA) is the oldest antique airplane association in the world. The AAA formed in August 1953 by Robert L. Taylor, via a classified ad in Flying magazine and a few people with a deep-seated interest in old ai ...

Inc. He was also co-founder and Chairman of the Board of the Airpower Museum with which organization he shared ownership of Antique Airfield in

Blakesburg, Iowa Blakesburg is a city in Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 274 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Blakesburg was laid out in 1852. It was named for one of its founders, Theophilus Blake. Geography Accor ...

. Taylor was born in

Ottumwa, Iowa Ottumwa ( ) is a List of cities in Iowa, city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,529 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census. Located in the state's southeastern section, th ...

, in July 1924. For the majority of Taylor's life, he was involved in aviation. In 1941 he soloed and then served in both World War II (US Army Air Forces) and the Korean War. He worked as an aircraft mechanic and airport manager in addition to buying and selling airplanes and restoring them. In 1994, Taylor was inducted into the

Iowa Aviation Museum The Iowa Aviation Museum is located at the Greenfield Municipal Airport in Greenfield, Iowa, and is dedicated to preserving Iowa's aviation heritage. The Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame, located at the museum, honors Iowans who have contributed signi ...

's Aviation Hall of Fame for his establishment of the Antique Airplane Association in 1953 for providing a place and a purpose to fly, to preserve, to share and to promote the early flying machines. Taylor still resided in Ottumwa during his latter years, where he published a national and international magazine featuring articles and stories about antique airplanes. He died in June 2020 at the age of 95.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Robert 1924 births 2020 deaths United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II American publishers (people) American aviation pioneers People from Ottumwa, Iowa