Background
Duckworth was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1902.
Duckworth was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1902.
He is also noted in record books as being the first person to fly through the eye of a hurricane. Duckworth enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps as a Flying Cadet in 1927 and received his wings and reserve commission at Kelly Field, Texas, the following year. After graduation, he flew for Ford Motor Company, Curtiss-Wright Flying Service, and Eastern Air Lincolnshire.
lieutenant was during this time that he developed his knowledge of instrument flight (obtaining a law degree from the University of Miami in the meantime).
In late 1940, Duckworth was called to active duty in the rank of a major and promoted to lieutenant colonel soon after World World War II began. He was shocked at the profound ignorance of instrument flying throughout the Air Corps, and appalled that the losses sustained from that type of ignorance were greater than losses due to actual combat.
During the rest of the war, he introduced his knowledge of instrument flying at various flying schools, first at Columbus Army Flying School in Columbus, Mississippi, then at Easterwood Airport in Bryan, Texas, and helped to standardize instrument flight instruction within the Air Corps. After the war, he served as the head of the safety bureau of the Civil Aeronautics Board, retiring from the Air Force in 1955 after serving as base commander of Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.
He died on July 26, 1964 in Battle Creek, Michigan.
The Air Force presents the Colonel Duckworth Instrument Award annually to the individual or unit making the greatest contribution to aerospace instrument flight.
