One Foot on the Ground

Paul Roxin is especially suited to writing a book such as One Foot on the Ground having had a lifetime of experience with all facets of aviation - from early aircraft and the famous and not-so-famous who flew them, to training fliers during this country's volatile war years of the '40s. Along the way, Mr. Roxin has, in one form or another, gotten to know all about airfields and airports - how they developed and where, and what marvelous advances have been made in aviation from the early '20s to the present time.

Fascinated by flying since the age of 7, Mr. Roxin obtained his pilot's license in 1936. He was an instructor and became involved in aircraft communications and airway traffic control for the Bureau of Air Commerce (now known as the Federal Aviation Administration) (FAA) through the '50s. During World War II, when there was a desperate need for trained pilots, he taught "ground school" - civil air regulations, meteorology, navigation, and morse code.

For the next 28 years, he was affiliated with General Electric Radio Co., a job in which he applied his knowledge of aircraft communications; today, in his eighties, he is only semi-retired, still having a hand in that field. In the '90s, Roxin began publishing a series of historical articles on aviation history for the Brighton-Pittsford Post, and Gannett Rochester Newspapers. During this period, he was instrumental in forming the distinctive "Geriatric Pilot's Association," comprised mostly of pilots from World War II. The group convenes periodically.

One Foot on the Ground has elicited much favorable response from readers and many organizations. Mr. Roxin has been invited to contribute articles on New York State aviation history for the New York State Encyclopedia published by Syracuse University Press. The book is currently in the reference library of the 8th Air Force Museum, Duxford, England, the Cambridge University Museum, and is in the University of Rochester's Rare Books Collection.

Music has been a special interest of his, and in 1974 he formed the Brighton (NY) Symphony Orchestra and was actively involved in the Brighton Light Opera Co. from 1980 to 1989.