Friday, March 12, 2010

Remembering Howard Levy

One of the truly super guys in aviation has passed away, I'm sad to say.
Howard Levy, whom I thought of as a permanent and indestructible fixture of aviation photography, is up doing air to air shooting with his own set of wings now.
Howie left us at 88 last week, after a long and celebrated career of 72 years shooting the airplanes he
loved so much.
I first met him at Oshkosh a couple decades ago. He was a mainstay then at Kitplanes and Private Pilot.
Over the many decades he aimed a camera at flying machines, he also sold to Smithsonian Magazine, Sport Pilot, Air Progress, Jane's All the World's Aircraft, AOPA Pilot and a hangar full of other publications. He was also a staff editor at Look magazine for 25 years, something I hadn't known, and once mentored a young up-and-comer named Stanley Kubrick, who went on to become the legendary film director.
Kitplanes gave him a Silver Anniversary Lifetime Achievement Award, one of several accolades he earned.
Howard was a founding member of the American Aviation Historical Society in 1956 and the Aviation/Space Writers Association.
He shot for the Army Air Corps in WWII in Africa, Sicily and Italy and was still shooting last year at the airshows.
I'll remember his quick smile and exuberant good nature always.
Thanks Howard for all the many many thousands of terrific images. You'll be missed by everybody who had the good fortune to know you.

---image of Howard courtesy his friend Glenn Stott. Airplanes...by Howard Levy, of course

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