Eugene Turner

Eugene “Gene” Turner was born April 3, 1925, in Carlton, Michigan; and died March 2, 2017, in the California desert, short of his 92nd birthday. The weather was perfect for flying, and he took off. He is survived by his son, Jerry E. Turner (wife, Jane) and granddaughter Rachel, who live in Rockford, Michigan; and his daughter Jeannine E. Turner Waugh (husband, Ralph), who lives in Tallahassee, Florida.

As a boy, Gene’s love of aviation began as he lived on a farm where he saw planes fly overhead. He built his first model airplane at the age of 11 and dreamed of being a pilot. While he was a senior in high school, he had a part-time job drafting design-parts for an experimental helicopter. During WW II, he saw an announcement that the U. S. Army Air Corps was looking for pilots. He enlisted and became a qualified fighter pilot in the P-47 Thunderbolt. Two weeks before he was scheduled to leave for the Pacific, the war ended. He received his pilot’s wings in the first peace-time graduating class. After the war, Gene earned his multi-engine and flight instructor’s certificates and was a flight instructor in southern Michigan. In 1951 he graduated from the Aeronautical University with a degree in aeronautical engineering. For several years he was a design engineer for Bell Helicopter Corp., Beech Aircraft, and Convair, where he obtain several patents. In 1958 he joined the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), which quickly became the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). During his time at the FAA, he was instrumental in the certification process of the Lockheed L-1011 wide-body passenger jet. After 20 years as an aeronautical engineer and aircraft certification manager, he returned to the private sector as an FAA Coordinator and Consultant with Aerospatiale Helicopter Corporation in Grand Prairie, Texas. After “retiring,” he became a Designated Engineering Representative (DER) for the FAA, certifying design-changes for airplanes and helicopters.

His passion was flying and designing home-built airplanes. From 1958 on, he spent many hours designing and building 14 different general and homebuilt planes. The T-40 Series folding-wing sport plane was his most successful. He first flew his T-40A on April 3, 1961, his birthday. The design included wings that could be folded back against the plane for storage and easy transportation to and from an airport on a modified boat trailer. His goal was to make aviation affordable for “the common man.” A great many of his planes have been constructed by individuals and are flying around the world. Over the years, he won many trophies and awards. In 1961, he won the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Outstanding Design Award and in 1962, won 2nd place for his folding-wing, trailerable, home-built aircraft. In 1981, seeing that many pilots wanted to fly but couldn’t due to medical or financial reasons, Gene designed the model T-100 ‘Mariah.’ This ultra-light aircraft met the needs of pilots who wanted to fly but did not have an FAA flight physical, or who could not afford to fly certificated airplanes. In the late 1970's, as an FAA official, Gene's report to the FAA administrator allowed the ultralight aircraft community to remain active and unregulated.

Until his death, Gene remained involved in aviation, providing support to his builders, and anyone who wanted to talk about aviation. He inspired countless individuals to pursue their aviation dreams. Planes he built are on display at the EAA Museum in Oshkosh, WI, the Saxon Aerospace Museum in Boron, CA (where he was a Docent for many years), and Shafter Museum in Bakersfield, CA.

Donations can be made to:

Saxon Aerospace Group, Inc.

Attn: Barbara Baker

In memory of Eugene L. Turner

PO Box 475

Boron, California 93596