FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: ROGER D. CONNOR, CHRISTOPHER T. MOORE, MARK A. AVINO, AND ERIC F. LONG.
SI 2009–12486
Eric, Mark, Roger, and Chris would like to thank the following individuals for their extraordinary efforts in support of this book.
Special recognition must go to Dane Penland, for shooting most of the spectacular exterior photos of the aircraft on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Many of these aircraft required extensive preparation and treatment prior to photography, and we are grateful to the many hours expended by Steven Kautner, Jeff Mercer, and John Shatz over the course of the project.
The marshaling of resources is dependent on effective administration and we would like to thank Museum Director John Dailey, Deputy Director Dr. Peter Jakab, Collections Division Chief Elizabeth Garcia, Preservation and Restoration Unit Chief Richard Kowalczyk, Communications Director Claire Brown, Public Affairs Specialist Brian Mullen, and Aeronautics Chair Dr. F. Robert van der Linden.
Most of the archival images and period reference materials were provided and managed by the Archives Division and we must especially thank Jessamyn Lloyd, Brian Nicklas, Melissa Keiser, Kate Igoe, Mark Kahn, David Schwartz, and Larry Wilson.
We would like to recognize the valuable curatorial insights and review provided by Aeronautics Curators Dr. Dik Daso, Thomas Dietz, Dr. Von Hardesty, Dr. Jeremy Kinney, and Russell Lee.
Interns and volunteers are essential to Smithsonian projects and we must acknowledge the work of Matthew Breitbart, Sheralyn Morehouse, Thomas Paone, Laszlo Taba, Ciara Richards, Larry DiRicco, and Mike Hanz.
This book benefited from the support of Ellen Nanney at Smithsonian Business Ventures and Caroline Newman at SI Books. Without Trish Graboske, our ever-reliable and much beloved Publications Officer, this project would not have been possible.
We would also like to thank Matthew Nazzaro, RAD Specialist; Malcolm Collum, Chief Conservator; and Wayne Cozzolino, Calumet Photographic, and Charles Hyman, color production.
We are indebted to the staff at HarperCollins Publishers that took our raw content and turned it into the polished product you see before you, especially Marta Schooler, Elizabeth Viscott Sullivan, Signe Bergstrom, Iris Shih, and Agnieszka Stachowicz.
As a top fighter pilot, test pilot, airshow performer, and all-around nice guy, we are humbled and honored that Bob Hoover was able to write the Foreword to our book.
Completing a project of this scale is never easy and we must thank our families and especially Kathy, Laurie, and Nancy for the nights, weekends, and vacations that were sacrificed.