Richard L. Long

United States of America

 

Col. Richard L. Long, an AHS member since 1950, was a master aviator in the Army, rated for both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. His Army career spanned 23 years and included a stint as Gen. George S. Patton's hand-picked armored division observation pilot.  

After leaving the Army in 1965, Col. Long worked for Sikorsky Aircraft and rose to the post of senior project engineer for advanced projects.  He re-entered the Army as a civilian in 1972, working for AVSCOM and later as director of the Army Structures Laboratory at Langley, Virginia from 1980-84.

Col. Long held an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and received a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from Princeton University. He also earned a master's degree in international affairs from George Washington University.

In addition to his long affiliation with the AHS, Col. Long was a member and past president of the Army Aviation Association of America. Col. Long was also named an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Col. Richard L. Long died on August 31, 1987, in Richmond.

AHS Update: Vertiflite November/December 1987