Longtime Casper Flight Instructor to be Inducted Into Aviation Hall of Fame

Aug. 15—A Casper man who enjoyed a lengthy career as a flight instructor in Wyoming will be inducted into the state's Aviation Hall of Fame next month.

John B. Cooksey instructed as many as 400 student pilots over four decades and administered 223 flight examinations between 1968 and 1985, according to an announcement from the hall of fame.

Cooksey, who died in 1986, also served in the Civil Air Patrol, assisting in its cadet program and performing aerial supply drops for rural residents during blizzards.

Born in 1921 in Newcastle, Cooksey joined the Naval Aviation Cadet Program at the start of World War II, the announcement states. He served as an aircraft mechanic on carriers in the Pacific Theater and remained in the Navy for a time after the war. During this period, he earned his private and commercial licenses, as well as his flight instructor certificate.

An oil boom brought him back to Wyoming in 1952, first to Rock Springs and later to Casper, where he worked as an inspector for the Wyoming Oil and Gas Commission. He continued flying and eventually started his own business, which he called Intermountain Aviation. Over the ensuing years, he trained hundreds of Wyoming pilots. He also mentored many flight instructors, the announcement states.

The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame will host Cooksey's induction on Sept. 17 in the Newcastle Airport's County Hanger. The day will start with a fly-in at 7 a.m. The ceremony is set for 10 that morning.

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