Storied pilot Homer Stockert, born in Churubusco, Indiana, won air races
in Fort Wayne in the 1920s, earning him legendary fame while only in his
twenties. In 1933, he established the Stockert Flying Service at Bendix
Field, South Bend, Indiana, an airport built by entrepreneur Vincent
Bendix. After serving as a test pilot of the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter
aircraft in Evansville, Indiana, during World War II, Stockert returned
to Bendix Field to expand his flying service with his business-savvy
wife, Dora. Stockert led a successful life of leadership in private
aviation until his death in 1971.