Richmond, Virginia

Inducted in 1993, Neilson J. November soloed on his 16th birthday in 1940.  During WWII, he served as an officer aboard an attack troop transport USS Lauderdale.  After the war, he acquired his first airplane, a surplus PT-19 with his discharge bonus.  In the early 1960’s he served on and later chaired the Richmond Aviation Advisory Commission, which eventually evolved into the Capitol Region Airport Commission.  In 1969, he was appointed to the statewide Virginia Advisory Committee, serving as Chairman for the last two years of his term.  November was a founding member of the Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society in which he has severed as Director and Chairman of the Board.  He helped spearhead the Society’s effort to create the Virginia Aviation Museum in the late 1980’s.  In 1977, he served as the Chairman of the “Golden Wings Over Richmond” extravaganza to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Lindbergh’s historic flight from New York to Paris. November continues to pursue his devotion to aviation by giving lectures on a variety of aviation topics several times a month.