Roy Marlin Voris
American World War II flying ace / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Captain Roy Marlin "Butch" Voris (September 19, 1919 – August 10, 2005) was an aviator in the United States Navy, a World War II flying ace, and the founder of the Navy's flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels. During his 22-year naval career Voris flew everything from biplanes to jets, and afterward was instrumental in the development of the Navy's F-14 Tomcat strike fighter and NASA's Apollo Lunar Module (LM), both produced by the Grumman Aerospace Corporation.
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Roy Marlin Voris | |
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Nickname(s) | "Butch" |
Born | (1919-09-19)September 19, 1919 Los Angeles, California |
Died | August 10, 2005(2005-08-10) (aged 85) Monterey, California |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1941–1963 |
Rank | Captain |
Unit | USS Enterprise (CV-6) USS Hornet (CV-8) USS Ranger (CVA-61) |
Commands held | Blue Angels (1946–47, 1951) |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross (3) Purple Heart Air Medal (11) |
Other work | NASA consultant |
Often called a "fighter pilot's fighter pilot" and ranked with other better-known American military aviation greats such as Gregory "Pappy" Boyington and Chuck Yeager, Voris was a big man with close-cropped hair, known for his even-temperedness and coolness in the cockpit. Owing to his superb piloting skills, he survived numerous accidents and emergency situations. Voris was nearly killed by a Japanese Zero that attacked his aircraft during the defense of Guadalcanal in what he later described as his first "real" dog fight (which earned him a Purple Heart).