Edwin A. Link, Jr.

	EDWIN A. LINK, JR. Pioneer Flight Simulator Designer
	Born Huntington, Indiana, July 26, 1904. As a youth, he developed great interest in science and mathematics, and a fascination with things mechanical. Upon leaving high school he learned to build pianos and organs in his father's factory and began flying lessons. Reflecting on the quality of flying instruction received, he concluded the quality could be improved and costs reduced by the use of simulators on the ground. Putting his mechanical skills to work, he built a pilot trainer in 1929. the ubiquitous World War II "blue box" instrument trainer evolved from this initial single pilot trainer, followed by ever more complex simulators which provide a high degree of fidelity that allows all training for specific aircraft to be carried out on the ground. His flight simulators began a totally new industry which continues today in training aviators and astronauts. His vision and inventiveness saved lives, conserved resources of aircraft and fuel as well as maintained a high level of personal proficiency. Upon his retirement in 1954, he redirected his interests to oceanography with diving systems and manned submersibles until his death in Binghampton, New York, September 7, 1981.
	Elected to the International Aerospace Hall of Fame 1992