Photo – From left are, John Dyer, Bonnie Dunbar and Larry Lonero – Meg Lonero’s son.
Lone Star Flight Museum leaders, sponsors and 300 special guests celebrated the Class of 2026 at the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame induction ceremony and luncheon on Friday, April 10. The Lone Star Flight Museum team presented this memorable event in the museum’s spacious Heritage Hangar, which houses a permanent collection of iconic and historic aircraft.
The Class of 2026 includes Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, NASA astronaut, aerospace and engineering leader with significant contributions in human space flight; John Dyer, U.S. Air Force Vietnam veteran, accomplished flight instructor and Federal Aviation Association Wright Brothers Master Flyer award recipient; and posthumously, Meg Lonero, longtime City of Houston airport executive, aviation industry leader and accomplished pilot.
Exhibit panels highlighting the impressive accomplishments of each of the Class of 2026 inductees have been added to the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame gallery, located in the Texas Heritage Gallery of the museum. With the addition of the Class of 2026, the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame now boasts 103 members.
Following remarks by Lone Star Flight Museum President and Chief Executive Officer Anna Hawley, board chair David Novelli presented each inductee with the official Texas Aviation Hall of Fame medal, award and a proclamation from the office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
In addition to family, friends and colleagues of the inductees, notable guests included:
- Judge Bill Arnot, retired Chief Justice of the Texas Court of Appeals, Eleventh District
- The Honorable Mike Foreman, Mayor of Friendswood, and former NASA astronaut
- Col. William Jordan, retired U.S. Air Force commander
- General Doug Owens, retired U.S. Air Force 3-Star general and former president and CEO of the Lone Star Flight Museum
- Capt. Richard Richards, retired NASA astronaut and Navy captain
- Col. Terry Wilcutt, retired NASA astronaut and Marine Corps pilot and Navy test pilot
Hawley and the Lone Star Flight Museum board of directors acknowledged and thanked the following underwriters for their generous support of the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame 2026 induction ceremony and luncheon:
- Award Sponsor: Bristow Group Inc., Friend of Lone Star Flight Museum, and the Johnson Family
- Gold Sponsors: Hillwood Development Company, the Patricia Jayne Keefer Foundation*, Patrice and Ed Noel, Mary and David Novelli*, Deborah J. Rihn-Harvey, Lisa and Jerry Simon* and Texas A&M University Aerospace Engineering
- Silver Sponsors: Flora and Brian Antweil*, Diane and Steve Biegel* , Ellen and Robert Wagnon*, Burando Energies, John Dyer, Anthony W. Hall Jr.*, Houston Airports, Intermountain Business Insurance, Nancy and Pete Olson*, Tavaero Jet Charter*, TechTrans International and Texas Southern University Aviation
*Members of LSFM Board of Directors
Learn more about the Lone Star Flight Museum and the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame Class of 2026 inductees by visiting LoneStarFlight.org.
