Warbird Information Exchange

I just received a message to say that Don Lopez has passed away. Really sad news. He was a wonderful man, and I will miss knowing that he is in the world.

For those of you who may not know, he flew P-40's with the Flying Tigers shortly after they were absorbed back into the US forces. He has been deputy director at NASM for the past umpteen years, among many other things, and was well loved inside, and outside the organization.

Blue skies Don.

Richard

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Richard Mallory Allnutt - Photography - http://www.rmallnutt.com

Don Lopez by "Lope's Hope III" somewhere in the CBI.




Another warrior flown west. My condolences to family and friends.

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

I helped him unload his car one year at Reading. My son was with me, and he was very kind to him- so nice that I complimented him on how he was with kids. Sorry to hear about his passing.

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REMEMBER THE SERGEANT PILOTS!

god speed and blue skies !



Martin

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Flying is easy: just learn how to throw yourself at the ground and miss

A grand man if ever there was one. I first met him about 20 years ago in Crystal City at a symposium with the German aces. I had a peint of a Spit that was signed by Battle of Britain pilots. I asked General Galland to sign it and after he did, Mr Lopez suggested that the General should have signed it,

"Herman, give me a dozen of these."

I wished he had.

I ran into him several times over the years and he always refered to that event.

He will be missed.

Gentle landings Don.

You will be in our prayers and thoughts.

I waited in line inside the Legends tent at the GML for about an hour in anticipation of the scheduled arrival of Don Lopez to sign memoribilia. Finally they announced that Don wasn't going to make it there.

At the time it kind of bugged me, but I wonder now if he was having health issues at the time. My prayers go out to the Lopez family.


Ted

I had the very fortunate experience of meeting Don twice and hearing him speak.
Terrific gentleman and it was my honor to have met him.
The world has lost a good one...
Godspeed, Don!
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

That is a shame. I never met him, but I did see him speak at GML last year and he seemed like a very nice guy. I did get some video of that. I hope to get it posted.

Mike

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Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
http://www.AerialVisuals.ca
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Do you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the The Locator.
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Don was such a fantastic gentleman... I had the pleasure of speaking with him several times on the phone before he came to the Aviation Heritage Festival in NH. He was a man of his word too... the year that he couldn't attend due to a scheduled visit with Gunther Rall, he called me the next year and asked the dates to he could live up to his promise. Can't find honor like that anymore.

Don was scheduled to be at the Geneseo Airshow this year and I am saddened that I won't be able to meet him in person. All my prayers to his family and friends at such a time of loss.

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Ryan Keough
Stow, MA

He was one of the speakers at the 50th birthday party for the
T-6/SNJ/Harvard that NATA has at Kenosha, WI in 1988, also there was Lee Atwood. Talked to him recently and he remembered it well.

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He did amazing work with the NASM and was a real hero.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

Really sad news. Don helped us establish the Museum here at CAF HQ, held our hands while we went thru the accreditation process, helped get us on the approved list to exhibit Air and Space stuff....I had him as a guest of mine for a Seminar Series program. Not only was he gracious enough to come out for that, he extended an invitation for me and my family to come to DC for a private tour of the U-H facility at Dulles. One of the high points for me...

A real gentleman.

Old Shep

What a fine fellow.Was lucky enough to get a private tour at NASM with him.Mr Lopez will be missed by all that were lucky enough to have met him.God Speed.

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Hang The Expense

A sad loss for aviation. Don was a fine gentlemen, and I had the pleasure of spending a whole day with him once. He had many, many great stories to tell. Without Don's hard work, the NASM would not be what it is today.

sorry to revive this thread but I have a question. I read Mr. Lopez's book "Into the Teeth of the Tiger" for the first time around 20 yrs ago and he has been one of my heros ever since. At one point in his book he writes of an incident where the first P-51s had recently arrived at his unit, someone was taking off in one of these P-51's and somehow lost it, running into Lope's Hope. At some point in the past I stumbled across a picture of this incident in a different book (it looks like the P-40 bit the wingtip off the P51) but for the life of me I can't find it back. Anyone know of this picture?