J. Lynn Helms

J. Lynn Helms
United States
Federal Aviation Administrator
In office
April 22, 1981 – January 31, 1984
Preceded by Langhorne Bond
Succeeded by Donald D. Engen
Personal details
Born Jonee Lynn Helms
March 1, 1925
De Queen, Arkansas
Died December 11, 2011 (aged 86)
Westport, Connecticut
Alma mater University of Oklahoma

Jonee Lynn Helms (March 1, 1925 – December 11, 2011), known as Lynn Helms, was a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, former President of Piper Aircraft Corp. and is most recognized for the years in which he served as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration,[1] as an appointee of President Ronald Reagan. He was born in De Queen, Arkansas.

History

During his tenure as FAA Administrator, Helms originated and oversaw development of the 1982 National Airspace System (NAS) Plan; He headed the US delegation to the United Nations emergency session following the Soviet Union’s shooting down of Korean Air Flight 007 and played a key role in the August 3, 1981 Air traffic Control Strike that resulted in the termination of over 11,000 Air Traffic Controllers.[2] The firing and decertification of the union necessitated lengthy training of new controllers and extensive carrier delays.

Helms began his aviation career when he joined the U.S. Navy Aviation Cadet training program while at the University of Oklahoma, early in 1942. On completion of the program he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, remaining in the service as a regular officer after the end of WW-II. Subsequent service included postings to Japan, China, Korea and various aircraft carriers, and other Military Assignments. He became a U.S. Navy test pilot on graduation from the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School, was awarded the U. S. Marine Corps Air Medal, and the USAF Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster for Combat and Exceptional Service during the Korean War. He subsequently retired from the Marine Corps with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

After leaving the Marine Corps, Mr. Helms initially worked as a Design Engineer for North American Aviation, with subsequent positions of Sales Manager, and Director of Plans and Programs. In 1963 he joined the Bendix Corporation, holding successive positions as Systems Division General Manager, Group Manager, and Group Vice President, Aerospace. In that latter position he directed the Launch Support Division, that prepared all lunar and orbiter flights from Cape Kennedy. He also personally directed the Systems Division in designing, assembling, packaging and installing the ALSEP (Apollo Lunar Scientific Exploration Package) for Apollo astronauts to leave on the moon on the first lunar landing.

In 1970 he accepted the position of President, Norden Division, United Aircraft Corporation. In 1974 he was elected President and CEO of Piper Aircraft Corporation, later being named Chairman of the Board. In 1975 he negotiated with the Vice President of Brazil to construct a factory and build Piper general aviation aircraft in Brazil. He joined the Vice President in early 1978 to accept the first airplane off the production line at the new facility, Embraer, in San Jose Dos Compos, Brazil. In 1977 Mr. Helms landed the first private airplane in Warsaw, Poland. Following subsequent visits he negotiated an agreement with Pezetel, the Polish National Aircraft Co., to build Piper aircraft, the first general aviation aircraft built behind the iron curtain.

In 1980 he retired from Piper, and subsequently accepted a role in laying out the National Aviation Program for the in-coming Reagan Administration. He was nominated by President Reagan for the office of Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He would later resign in 1983 over a grand jury investigation of illegal business activities.

Mr. Helms was affiliated with and a member of numerous National and International organizations and entities. Mr. Helms was a Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a trustee of the USAF Flight Test Museum, a Life Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, a member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Society, an Honorary in the Air Traffic Control Association, Co-Founder of The J. Lynn Helms Aviation Science Scholarship Fund, University of Illinois, and a retired member of the Wings Club of New York City.

In 1978 he was named General Aviation Man of the Year, and in 1979 was named Chairman of the General Aviation Manufacturer's Association. In 1980, The Society of Experimental Test Pilots selected him for the General James H. Doolittle award and trophy. In 1981 he headed the U.S. Delegation to London for Bi-Lateral Technical and Operating Procedures with the U.K. In 1982 he was named PenJerDel Man of the Year in International Aviation, and also that year was selected as the first recipient of the Gen. Pete R. Quesada award for Excellence in Management. Mr. Helms was selected that year by The Royal Aeronautical Society, approved by the Queen, to be the American chosen to deliver the Annual Wright Brothers Lecture, at the Royal Academy Awards assembly in London.

In 1982 he led the delegation for review of International Civil Air discussions for the Western Mediterranean, which included North African and Southern European countries. Also that year Mr. Helms was named Special Ambassador to deliver thanks to the King of Morocco, and individual recognition awards to each crew member of the two Air Morocco aircraft that flew into Tehran, to recover U.S. hostages. In 1982 he was awarded a Doctorate Honoris in Aviation Management for development of the National Airspace Systems Plan (NAS Plan). Mr. Helms is acknowledged as the “father” of the NAS Plan. In that effort he personally directed the evaluation of U.S. Aviation Systems capability, and outlined a concept for air traffic control and attendant scheduling proficiency for aircraft collision avoidance. Mr. Helms personally originated the concept to remove mid-air collision avoidance from ground control, and place it into aircraft. His program resulted in TCAS, (Traffic Collision and Avoidance System), initially mandatory for U.S. carriers, and subsequently adopted by International aviation. For this accomplishment Mr. Helms was nominated for The Collier Trophy. He also initiated the National Airspace Review, to develop methods and procedures for improved safety and operational efficiency in use of all national airspace.

In 1983 Mr. Helms was selected by the President to head the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations, ICAO emergency convening which followed the downing of Korean Airlines Flight 007 by the Soviet Union. That year he also headed the U.S. Delegation to the U.K. for Bi-Lateral Aviation and Airworthiness technical and operational review in London. He was also awarded the annual Alpha Eta Rho award, “for outstanding contributions to Aviation education.”

Mr. Helms has been a lecturer numerous times at various U. S. Government educational institutions on the subject of “Planning and Control”. In addition to The War College, Mr. Helms holds the invited lecturer record, at seventeen years, and was named Honorary Professor, National War College. In 1984 he was awarded a Doctoris Honoris in Aviation Sciences, for his personal development of a new curricula introduced at the University of Illinois, now offered by over three dozen Colleges and Universities, which reflected the President’s call for increased emphasis on science, math and technical education. Mr. Helms represented the U.S. at the Trans-European conference on Air Carrier Tariffs in Prague, and later that year chaired the U.S. Team for Air Traffic Control and Technology in Moscow for the U.S.–U.S.S.R. conference directed to the 21st Century. That year he was also selected as recipient of the Smithsonian Institution residenced Glen L. Gilbert trophy.

He died in December 2011 of complications from cardiopulmonary failure and pneumonia at his Westport home.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "FAA Administrators, Past and Present". Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  2. ↑ Gordon Baxter (June 1982). "The Arkansas Quick-Draw". Flying Magazine: 76.
  3. ↑ "J. Lynn Helms, FAA chief during 1981 air traffic controllers strike, dies at 86". The Washington Post. 1925-03-01. Retrieved 2011-12-14.

External links