Accomplished Aviator and GA Advocate Pat Epps Flys West

Pat Epps, a Georgia native and long-time general aviation icon, died on Friday at the age of 91. A memorial service will be held on Thursday morning.

A member of the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame; recipient of NBAA’s American Spirit Award and NATA’s William A. “Bill” Ong Memorial Award; and a 2007 Living Legend of Aviation honoree, Epps was the son of Ben Epps, an aviation pioneer and contemporary of the Wright Brothers who built his own airplane and was the first person to fly in Georgia in 1908.

Despite his father’s death in an airplane crash when he was a child, Pat went on to start a long aviation career during which he amassed more than 10,000 flight hours as a commercial pilot. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1956 with a degree in mechanical engineering and later served as flight test engineer for Boeing on the prototype 707, America’s first jetliner.

Enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program, he joined the service in 1957 as a second lieutenant. He graduated from flight training with distinction in 1958 and was posted to flying large cargo aircraft until he left the Air Force.

In 1965, he launched Epps Air Service, which grew into a full-service FBO, aircraft charter, and maintenance facility at Atlanta DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (KPDK). He owned the 18-acre facility for nearly six decades until it was sold in 2023 to become part of the AeroCenters chain.

An aerobatic pilot who performed at airshows in a Beech Bonanza, Epps was a driving force in the daring rescue of a lost WWII P-38 fighter from under more than 100 feet of ice in Greenland.

“Pat’s passion for aviation, his steady judgement, and his commitment to elevating our industry set an example that will continue to resonate for years to come,” said NATA president and CEO Curt Castagna. “His lifetime of service reflects a legacy that endures far beyond his extraordinary accomplishments.