John W. “Hank” Lankford 1922-1990

John W. “Hank” Lankford was born in 1922 at Lynchburg, Virginia. He was a Navy pilot in the Pacific during WWII and was awarded 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses. He graduated from Georgia Tech University , then was recalled to active duty during the Korean war. In 1954 he joined what was then Chance Vought Aircraft, a predecessor to LTV, in Dallas , Texas as a production pilot flying the F7U-3, 3M and 3P aircraft, the F8U-1, 1P and 2 aircraft. As a civilian, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, then served from 1956 to 1960 as an experimental test pilot for Vought. He moved to the Washington area in 1972 as Director of Systems Division of Washington operations. He directed the company’s marketing efforts until retiring in 1983, In retirement, he was President of JWL Associates, an aerospace consulting firm. John passed away in 1990.