Biographical Note

Charles F. Blair (1909-1978) was a military aviator and aviation pioneer.

Charles Blair was born on July 19, 1909 in Buffalo, New York. He joined the Naval Reserve in 1932 and was called into active duty for World War II. Post-war, he worked as a pilot for American Overseas Airways, which merged with Pan American Airways.

Pan Am purchased Paul Mantz's P-51 Mustang for an attempt to set a new long distance flight record. Blair initially renamed the plane "Stormy Petrol" and then "Excalibur III" and set several records in it.

Blair became a consultant for NASA and in 1963 he established Antilles Air Boats. On September 2, 1978 he was piloting a Grumman G21 when the port engine failed. Despite Blair's efforts, the plane crashed into the water where Blair and three of his ten passengers drowned.