The
members of Richard C. du Pont Post 18 envision a future in which the post is
recognized as a key partner in providing solutions that address the needs and
issues that are facing veterans, their families and their communities.
The
mission of Richard C. du Pont Post 18 is to promote a better understanding of
the principles of democracy and to inculcate, among all people, a higher appreciation
of the benefits of American citizenship. The post works to serve the needs of
all veterans, their families and the communities in which they reside.
Richard
C. Du Pont Sr. (1911-1943)
Richard C. du Pont, Sr. was the designer and builder of gliders, holder of soaring
records, pioneer of rural airmail service, and the founder of Allegheny Airlines,
the forerunner of US Airways.
His romance with flight began as a boy building model airplanes, then piloting
gliders in his teens. He earned his pilot's license in 1930, but focused on
soaring and went on to establish national and world records for altitude, endurance
and distance. He served as president of the Soaring Society of America from
1937 through 1930.
In the late 1930s and early 40s, his All American Aviation developed a nonstop
airmail drop and pickup service for small towns. It featured 260-h.p. Stinson
Reliants equipped with hooks that snatched up mail pouches as the craft swooped
low over airports in Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and other reaches
of the Alleghenies.
In 1943, Air Corps commander Gen. Henry "Hap" Arnold called on Richard
du Pont to head glider R&D for the military. Drawing on his own experience
and first-hand observations in the Sicilian campaign, he effected major changes
in glider operations. Tragically, on Sept. 11, 1943, a test flight of a large
experimental Air Corps glider in California took the lives of four airmen, including
the 32 year-old Delawarean.
Conferring the Distinguished Service Medal, accepted by the flier's widow, Allaire,
President Roosevelt said du Pont "contributed materially to the successful
accomplishment of a mission of the greatest importance to the war effort."
After the war, the Civil Aeronautics Board awarded All American a permanent
route system across the Allegheny states; the company renamed itself Allegheny
Airlines and expanded ultimately into US Airways.
Richard C. DuPont, Sr. (1911-1943) was inducted into the Delaware Aviation Hall
of Fame in 2002. To read his biography, click on Richard C. DuPont.
http://www.dahf.org/inductees
Richard C. DuPont, Jr. (1937-1986) was inducted into the Delaware Aviation Hall
of Fame in 2004.
