James Andrew Healy
James Andrew Healy (March 20, 1895 – May 8, 1983) was a U.S. Army air service officer and World War I flying ace credited with five victories. He came from a military family; his father, Colonel Daniel Healy, was a Rough Rider who died at San Juan Hill in the Spanish–American War, and his mother was Mary A. Healy of Jersey City, New Jersey.
Healy joined the Air Service in July 1917 and trained near Toronto with the Royal Flying Corps. In 1918 he went to France and served with the 147th Aero Squadron. Flying a SPAD XIII, he scored five confirmed victories, making him the fourth-highest scorer in his squadron. He received the Distinguished Service Cross and the French Croix de Guerre for his actions.
After World War I, Healy remained in the Air Service, later the Army Air Forces, and worked as a technical advisor on William Wellman’s 1927 film Wings. He retired in 1936 due to disability, with the rank of Major. He returned to service in World War II and was promoted to Colonel.
He died in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1983 at the age of 88.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 10:55 (CET).