Richard A. Henson was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 test pilot, flight school operator, and founder of the modern "commuter airline" concept.

Early life

Henson was a test pilot for Fairchild Aircraft Corporation during the Depression. He also flew for hire out of the Hagerstown Airport.

In 1932, he purchased the Blue Ridge Flying Service and renamed it Henson Flying Service.

Prior to WWII, Henson formed a Civilian Pilot Training Program

Civilian Pilot Training Program

The Civilian Pilot Training Program was a flight training program sponsored by the United States government with the stated purpose of increasing the number of civilian pilots, though having a clear impact on military preparedness....

 flight school, training pilots in the Fairchild PT-19

Fairchild PT-19

|-See also:-Bibliography:* Mondey, David. American Aircraft of World War II . London: Bounty Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7537-1461-4....

.

In 1962, Henson started the Hagerstown Commuter airline. A low cost, rapid turnaround airline servicing Washington D.C. and Hagerstown. Henson started with Beechcraft Model 18

Beechcraft Model 18

The Beechcraft Model 18, or "Twin Beech", as it is better known, is a 6-11 seat, twin-engine, low-wing, conventional-gear aircraft that was manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas...

 Twin engine aircraft.

In 1981 Henson moved his corporate operations to Salisbury, Maryland.

Henson partnered with Allegheny Airlines

Allegheny Airlines

Allegheny Airlines was an airline operating out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, from 1952 to 1979. It was a forerunner of today’s US Airways. Its headquarters were located on the grounds of Washington National Airport in Arlington County, Virginia....

, creating one of the first code sharing

Code sharing

A codeshare agreement, sometimes simply codeshare, is an aviation business arrangement where two or more airlines share the same flight. A seat can be purchased on one airline but is actually operated by a cooperating airline under a different flight number or code...

 arrangements with a major airline flying Beechcraft Model 99

Beechcraft Model 99

|-See also:-External links:*...

, and Shorts 330

Shorts 330

|-See also:-Bibliography:* Barnes C.H. and James Derek N. Shorts Aircraft since 1900. London: Putnam, 1989. ISBN 0-85177-819-4.* Donald, David, ed. The Encyclopedia of Civil Aircraft. London: Aurum, 1999. ISBN 1-85410-642-2....

 aircraft.

Henson later partnered with Piedmont, creating "Henson, the Piedmont Regional Airline". This later was merged with US Air, the name Piedmont Airlines

Piedmont Airlines

Piedmont Airlines is an American regional airline operating for US Airways Express. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the US Airways Group, headquartered in unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury, it conducts flight operations using De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft...

 has been reapplied to commuter code sharing partners.

In 1984, Henson helped found the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore

Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore

The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore was established in 1984, and is located in Salisbury, Maryland. Its mission is to "strengthen the community by building charitable funds, maximizing benefits to donors, making effective grants, and provide leadership to address community needs." It...

, as one of the first board members .

In 1990, Henson founded the Richard A. Henson Foundation, Inc., a philanthropic organization dedicated to improving communities in and around Salisbury Maryland.

Henson remained an active pilot until the age of 90.

Honors

Hagerstown Regional Airport

Hagerstown Regional Airport

Hagerstown Regional Airport , also known as Richard A. Henson Field, is a county-owned public-use airport in Washington County, Maryland, United States. It is located four nautical miles north of the central business district of Hagerstown, about a half mile from the Maryland/Pennsylvania border....

 is named Richard A. Henson Field

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore

University of Maryland Eastern Shore

University of Maryland Eastern Shore located on 776 acres in Princess Anne, Maryland, United States, is part of the University System of Maryland...

 in the town of Princess Anne, Maryland

Princess Anne, Maryland

Princess Anne is a town in Somerset County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,313 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Somerset County.Princess Anne is included in the Salisbury, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area....

 named its conference center located on the campus after Richard A. Henson.

The Richard A. Henson Cancer Institute is based out of the Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, Maryland

Salisbury, Maryland

-Demographics:Salisbury is the principal city of the Salisbury-Ocean Pines CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Salisbury metropolitan area and the Ocean Pines micropolitan area , which had a combined population of 176,657 at the 2010 census.As of the census of 2000, there were...

Henson endowed the School of Science of Salisbury University

Salisbury University

Salisbury University is a public university in Salisbury, Maryland.According to U.S. News and World Report's 2009 America's Best Colleges index, "In guidebooks and surveys by U.S...

 in 1988 creating the Richard A. Henson School of Science and Technology.

Annually the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore

Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore

The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore was established in 1984, and is located in Salisbury, Maryland. Its mission is to "strengthen the community by building charitable funds, maximizing benefits to donors, making effective grants, and provide leadership to address community needs." It...

awards the Award of Excellence honoring Richard A. Henson in recognition of contributions to the community.

External links