Blog Posts

AUGUST 19, 2022 — Starting this fall semester, the Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design at UTSA (the Klesse College) will offer a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering. It is the college’s 13^th master’s program.

Lone Star Flight Museum is the new home of a rare Lockheed Howard 250 Tri-Gear. The aircraft, given to the museum by the Mid America Flight Museum in Mount Pleasant, Texas, is now a permanent part of the LSFM’s aircraft collection. 

FEBRUARY 25, 2021 — UTSA’s vision to become a premier national research institution will soon get a blast in that direction thanks to important hypersonics research taking place on campus. Under the direction of Chris Combs, Dee Howard Endowed Assistant Professor in Aerodynamics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, UTSA is nearing the completion of a state-of-the-art, multi-million-dollar wind tunnel funded by the university.

(San Antonio, January 19, 2021) – Local students will expand their exploration of STEM careers by tapping San Antonio’s rich aviation and aerospace industry through resources provided by the Dee Howard Foundation in partnership with the IDRA Texas Chief Science Officer program.

The city of San Antonio, unbeknownst to some, has a rich history in aviation with multiple military bases within the city limits, a strong local presence of aviation industry, and a legacy of aviation innovators and entrepreneurs. Take for example Dee Howard…

Students are learning aviation history, using a flight simulator and building an experimental aircraft through the Supreme Dragon Aviation program that was established last year.

Two entrepreneur-inventors, a NASA astronaut, and an Air Force general will be recognized for their contributions to aviation and aerospace history.

In 2016 as part of this initiative, in collaboration with and the support of our community and industry partners, we undertook the following initiatives…

On 18 October 2016, The Dee Howard Foundation (DHF) and the San Antonio ISD (SAISD) launched their aviation and aerospace collaboration at Rhodes Middle School.

In 2015 as part of this initiative, in collaboration with and the support of our community and industry partners, we undertook the following initiatives…

In the course of his career as a photographer Smithers took more than 9,000 photographs of a wide range of subjects, including the pioneering work of such aviators as Claire L. Chennault, Katherine Stinson, and Benjamin Foulois; border skirmishes between the United States cavalry and Mexican raiders.

As a young boy, Ed Swearingen became deeply interested in airplanes, with Charles Lindbergh being his childhood hero. His mother related that he would roll the rug back in their farm house and use chalk on the floor to draw the fuselage of an airplane.

Dr. Lamb, an eminent Cardiologist and Internist and key scientist for the nation's man-in-space program, passed away on July 3, 2015 in San Antonio, Texas.

From designing fuels for prop planes and jet engines to developing systems and components that go to Mars and beyond, engineers and scientists at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI^®) have been an integral part of the San Antonio aviation and aerospace landscape since we were founded on the outskirts of San Antonio in 1947.

As President John F. Kennedy began his speech, the 10,000 people outside Building 150 at Brooks AFB quickly realized they were watching an address rich in local history, but they’d soon discover they also were part of a major, historic event.

The Dee Howard Foundation(DHF) is pleased to join with our community partners in helping to preserve San Antonio's rich aviation and aerospace history. Thanks to George Shotwell, Jr. for sharing with us the above postcard photograph of San Antonio International Airport-circa 1950s.

On 25 June 2015, as part of its support of educational initiatives (Pre-K thru 12, local colleges and universities), Wayne Fagan presented to Hai-Chao Han, PHD, a glass etching of a Rolls Royce Tay 650 engine.

In January 1946, Earl F. Slick (brother of Tom Slick, founder of Southwest Research Institute) founded Slick Airways as the air cargo division of the Slick Corporation, headquartered in San Antonio.

Jack was the son of Joe Frost, Jr., then president of Frost Bank, and the nephew of John Frost, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross in World War I.

A part of San Antonio’s proud aviation History.

Long before the 82nd Airborne Division’s storied jump into history on D-Day, a demonstration of parachute tactics was held in San Antonio before the Army’s chief of staff, and it was a hair-raising stunt.

 ‪#‎SAPresMonth‬ SA Aviation History

Oh those Stinson Girls. What did they get up to — airplane versus car race, Nashville, TN, 17 Nov 1914.

Katherine Stinson was known as the “Flying Schoolgirl” and was the fourth woman in the United States to receive her pilot’s license.

As part of the DHF Pre-K thru 12 Initiative, The Dee Howard Foundation is pleased to join with Hallmark University and SASTEMIC as Program Partners to announce the launch of their first one week aviation summer camp to be held the week of 22-26 June 2015 at the Hallmark campus at San Antonio International Airport.

The Dee Howard Foundation was honored to have participated as an Exhibitor in the North East ISD Career and Technical Advisory Council 17th annual Career Expo for middle and high school students.

I found the above framed photo of “Alamo Field” in the Dee Howard Foundation archives. I had not heard of Alamo Field and had no idea why Dee would have had this framed photo in his collection so I did some research.

On 2 April 2015, as part of the DHF Pre-K thru 12 Initiative, The Dee Howard Foundation Fund of the San Antonio Area Foundation awarded a grant in the amount of $500 to The DoSeum (San Antonio Children’s Museum) in support of its aviation and aerospace programs during its celebration of Aviation History Month in November 2015.

Excerpts from the introduction and chapter one of the book "Wings Over San Antonio" by author, historian, artist, and Dee’s good friend Mel Brown.

We all know the story, when Dee was forty years old he had almost 1000 employees and an enviable track record. So why in 1964 did Dee leave the company he founded and built to its international stature to start The Dee Howard Co.?

In 1964 Dee founded The Dee Howard Co. (DHC) based at San Antonio International Airport. DHC soon became the industry leader in engineering and production of performance improvements and quality products for the emerging business and commercial jet aircraft markets. But Dee did not totally abandon the non-jet market…

It was the early recovery years after the Great Depression when aviation legend Dee Howard first started working at age fifteen in automobile related shops…

San Antonio has a rich history of leadership and innovation in civil and military aviation and aerospace, starting with the first flight of an airplane in the San Antonio skies in February 1910.

In the mid-1980s, The Dee Howard Co. (DHC) had successfully launched its wide body Head of State program and had certified and was manufacturing and selling the Howard/Fage state of the art cold flow thrust reverser (TR). Dee was always thinking about new business opportunities for DHC.

On 3 March 2015, the Dee Howard Foundation Fund of the San Antonio Area Foundation awarded its first grant under its Pre-K thru 12 Initiative in the amount of $500 to the Alamo Academies-Aerospace Academy.

The Dee Howard Foundation (DHF) has announced the launch of the DHF initiative to introduce students in pre-K thru 12 in public and private schools in the San Antonio region to career opportunities in aviation and aerospace.

Early in his 50-year history in aviation, Durrell U. Howard, better known as Dee Howard, came up with a clever advertising slogan: “If you don’t have Dee Howard Thrust Reversers, what’s stopping you?”