David Griffin is no stranger to rarefied air.
Now the pilot has a plaque and place among the state’s best aviators.
Griffin, 77, is among the three newest members of the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame. The Tega Cay resident received his honor during the Feb. 11-13 South Carolina Aviation Association meeting in Isle of Palms.
“It was one of the biggest days of my life, very memorable,” Griffin said.
Griffin isn’t the only local Hall of Fame inductee. Col. Elliot White Springs, a World War I flying ace and longtime chairman of Springs Cotton Mills, was enshrined in 1992. Bob Bryant, founding member of the Rock Hill Airport Commission, was honored in 1993.
Don Purcell, aviation association president, said no more than three candidates can be selected for the hall each year. There were a half dozen nominees. Purcell said what most stood out about Griffin is his commitment to young people.
“David, with his contributions especially in education, has made a real difference,” Purcell said.
A retired aeronautical engineer, Griffin spent two years with students at Fort Mill and Nation Ford high schools building a replica Sopwith Camel bi-plane. It’s the plane Springs flew in the British Royal Fighting Corps a century ago. The plane is now the first in view at Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte.
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