Gloria Heath, a founding member of Flight Safety Foundation who was instrumental in the earliest efforts to disseminate aviation safety information worldwide, died Saturday at her home in Connecticut. She was 95.
Ms. Heath was a pilot in the Women Airforce Service Pilots, a civilian organization under the direction of the U.S. Army, during World War II, flying B-26 bombers that were used for target practice.
After the war, she was an original employee of Flight Safety Foundation, working with FSF founder Jerome Lederer, who described her efforts as indispensable. She was the project manager of the first formal course in aircraft accident investigation, conducted by the Foundation at Mitchel Air Force Base in New York in 1948.
“Gloria Heath was a true pioneer in aviation safety,” said Foundation President and CEO Jon Beatty. “Her role in the early days of Flight Safety Foundation was crucial in the development of the organization.”
After leaving her position at the F…
