Richard S. Dann

Richard Dann is a lifelong aviation enthusiast. His earliest recollections of aviation were at the local airport in Escanaba, Michigan when North Central Airlines operated Convair 580s. He went on to attend college at Western Michigan University and graduated with a degree in Aviation Management in 1984. Rich attended the Navy’s Aviation Officer Candidate School in 1985 and was commissioned as an Ensign in September of that year. He went on to fly the Sikorsky SH-60B with HSL-43 at NAS North Island from 1987 to 1991. Rich flew 50 missions during Operation DESERT STORM while attached to USS MOBILE BAY (CG-53). He left active duty in 1991 to pursue civilian interests, remaining in the Navy Reserve. In 2009, Rich was mobilized and was Executive Director of the Centennial of Naval Aviation. During his active duty period, Rich spearheaded the Heritage Paint Project, an effort that saw 29 U.S. Navy aircraft painted in heritage color schemes. He concluded his Navy career in 2015 at the rank of Captain after 30 years of service. For the last 21 years, Rich has been employed as a test engineer with a large aerospace company in the Midwest. He is currently working as a Test Program Manager for advanced weapon systems. He has been authoring books since 1992 and has ten titles to his credit. Rich is also an illustrator and aviation artist, and often does layouts and artwork for his books.