Wayne Frye is Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame Inductee

MANCHESTER, Ohio | Inclusion in the 2012 Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame came as a surprise to Kentucky native, and Ohio resident Wayne Frye."Mitch Coleman, at the Fleming-Mason Airport, did all the work, " Frye said on Friday. "He gathered all the information and submitted the application."Frye will be officially inducted along with others in October, he said.

"It is a real honor," Frye said.

Born in Trinity, Frye, 81, was a career officer in the U.S. Air Force, and a gold medal winning member of the 1950 U.S Olympic team in Men's Coxed Eights Rowing.During his career in the Air Force, Frye flew 266 combat missions in southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, flying Phantom F-4's.He commanded the 555th squadron known as the Triple Nickel, which was responsible for downing more than 50 Migs during the war.

"Being in command was the height of my career," Frye said. "Any pilot in the USAF would be proud of commanding during a war."

Later Frye was instrumental in bringing a static display of an F-4 to the Fleming-Mason Airport, he said.

Fry was awarded two Silver Stars, five Distinguished Flying Crosses, 15 Air Medals and a Purple Heart for his mission into Vinh Loi, Vietnam on Dec. 30, 1968. During the mission, in inclement weather and under automatic weapons fire, Frye was wounded in his left hand, but successfully landed the plane with the help of his rear seat pilot.

He retired at the rank of Colonel and went into aerospace management before retiring in the 1990s.

"Pilots were somewhat luckier than the ground troops, when they returned after Vietnam. They were met with a lot of anger and fury over the war," Frye said. "Those who fought (in Vietnam) took it for a real war and should have been treated the same as when troops returned from other wars."

According to the Aviation Museum of Kentucky website, it is located at Blue Grass Airport, Lexington. It has 12,000 square feet of display area, a fully equipped shop for aviation restoration projects, an office, a library/archive and a gift shop. The Museum includes not only older restored aircraft and memorabilia, but also air-worthy, flyable aircraft for the public to enjoy.

Chartered by the Commonwealth Legislature as Kentucky's official Aviation Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame was established to recognize and enshrine those Kentuckians, and those with close ties to Kentucky, who have made significant contributions to the fields of aviation and aerospace.

Frye and his wife, Glenda now reside in Manchester, Ohio, the same town where he graduated from high school.

He occasionally writes religious articles for the local religious newspaper, he said.

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