Herbert O. Fisher
Herbert O. Fisher (March 6, 1909 – July 29, 1990) was an American test pilot and aviation leader who helped shape military and civilian flying from the 1930s to the 1970s. Born in Tonawanda, New York, he fell in love with flying after a barnstorming experience at age 16 and pursued aviation as a career.
Fisher began his aviation career with the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1927 and started flight training in 1928. After leaving the military in 1933, he joined Curtiss-Wright as Chief Production Test Pilot, flying many aircraft off the Buffalo, New York, production line. He logged thousands of test flight hours on planes such as the C-46, P-40 Warhawk, P-36/Hawk, SB2C Helldiver, and P-47 Thunderbolt, earning a reputation as a calm and skilled flyer.
During World War II, Fisher was sent to the China-Burma-India theater to help train the Flying Tigers. He flew as many as 50 combat missions and gave flight demonstrations at fighter bases across the region. In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt awarded him the Air Medal, making him the first living civilian to receive the honor. He also contributed to a film project that helped recreate aerial battles for a Republic Studios production, stepping in for John Wayne for some scenes.
One notable incident occurred in 1942 when a C-46’s landing gear became stuck in the down position. Fisher performed a successful belly landing after eight hours of circling, a feat he later used to teach safe gear procedures to others. He also led test efforts to understand high-speed flight and propeller use in transonic conditions, performing many high-speed dives and studies of engine and aircraft behavior. He helped develop rapid descent techniques by reversing propeller pitch, a method later adopted for safer landings of airliners.
After the war, Fisher continued to work with Curtiss-Wright’s Propeller Division and, in 1952, moved to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. As Special Assistant for Aviation to the Executive Director, he oversaw the use of aircraft at New York area airports (JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, and Teterboro) and evaluated requests for aircraft operations. He retired in 1975 but remained active in aviation circles.
Fisher held many leadership roles and earned several honors. He helped found or lead groups for P-40 and P-47 pilots and was involved with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he received an honorary doctorate and later supported related programs.
He was married to Emily Fisher and had one son, Herbert O. Fisher Jr. He died in 1990 in Kinnelon, New Jersey, at age 81.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:09 (CET).