Alexandria, Virginia

Inducted in 1989, Charles D. Benn started flying in 1941 and has logged over 30,000 flying hours of which 25,000 hours were as a flight instructor. During World War II he served as a flight engineer on B-17s and B-29s. Following the war, he and his brother built Washington-Virginia Airport at Bailey’s Crossroads in Northern Virginia. Later he purchased the airport in Woodbridge, Virginia and expanded the operation from a small 12 aircraft outfit to one of the largest flight schools in Virginia with 135 aircraft.