Albert Lee Ueltschi facts for kids
Albert Lee Ueltschi (born May 15, 1917 – died October 18, 2012) was a very important person in the world of flight training. Many people call him the "father of modern flight training." He also started a famous company called FlightSafety International. Albert Ueltschi was once the personal pilot for Juan Trippe, who was the head of Pan Am airlines. He also knew the famous pilot Charles Lindbergh.
In 2001, Albert Ueltschi was honored in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio. In 2013, Flying magazine listed him as number 13 on their list of "51 Heroes of Aviation."
His Amazing Life and Career
Albert Ueltschi, often called Al, grew up in Franklin County, Kentucky. He was the youngest of seven children. For his first few years of school, he went to a one-room schoolhouse.
When he was 16, Al had a clever idea to earn money for flying lessons. He opened a hamburger stand called "Little Hawk" near his high school. With the money he made from selling hamburgers, he bought his very first airplane, a Waco 10.
Al went to the University of Kentucky for a year, but his love for flying led him to drop out. He became a "barnstormer," which meant he flew planes and performed stunts, often landing in fields. He also started teaching other people how to fly. Once, during a lesson, he actually fell out of his plane! Luckily, he used his parachute and landed safely, while his student managed to land the plane on their own.
In 1941, Al started working for Pan Am airlines as the private pilot for its president, Juan Trippe. He retired from Pan Am in 1968. He married his wife, Eileen, in 1944.
Al Ueltschi started FlightSafety International in 1951. He noticed that pilots for companies didn't get the same detailed training as airline pilots. So, he created FlightSafety to provide the best training possible. Juan Trippe, the head of Pan Am, was one of the first people to support his new company. Al stepped down as president of FlightSafety in 2003 but remained its chairman. The company still uses his motto today: "The best safety device in any aircraft is a well-trained crew."
Al spent his winters in Vero Beach, Florida. During the warmer months, he worked every day at FlightSafety's main office in New York.
Helping Others Around the World
Albert Ueltschi was also a very generous person. He helped start and gave a lot of money to Orbis International. This is a non-profit group that has a special "flying eye hospital" inside a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 airplane. This plane travels around the world, offering eye surgeries and training doctors to help people who can't see. Their goal is to stop people from going blind in developing countries.
In 2010, Al and his son Jim started another organization called HelpMeSee. This group works to help people with cataract blindness in poorer parts of the world. They train many specialists using special techniques that Al himself helped develop.
In 2012, Al Ueltschi signed The Giving Pledge, promising to give away most of his money to help with cataract relief.
The National Business Aviation Association has an award named after him, the Al Ueltschi Award for Humanitarian Leadership. It honors people in the aviation world who show great kindness and help others.
