August 11, 1976

Aviation promoter Carroll Cone died. Cone established two significant air organizations in the late 1920s: the 154th Observation Squadron of the Arkansas National Guard (ANG) and the Command-Aire aircraft manufacturing company. He also advised two U.S. presidents in commercial aviation policy. The formation of the ANG air unit was one example of Cone’s campaign to make aviation a part of Arkansans’ daily lives. He was twice elected as Arkansas’s state auditor, conducting his campaign in 1924 by touring the state in his own biplane. He also brought aviation to citizens by creating the first airport development program and hosting aviation events such as the 1926 National Elimination Balloon and Aeroplane Race in Little Rock (Pulaski County).