Remembering A Legend: Bob Nagy

Bob Nagy was born in Milwaukee WI in 1938. He was curious about military life and machinery all during WWII. Bob got his chance as a young man when he joined Wisconsin Air Guard at age 19. He spent 8 years there and was trained as Armament Sys N.C.O for F-51s & F-89s, Bob got to fly as R.I.O. in F-89s while testing radar intercepts. He also trained as a boom operator on KC-97s (aerial refueling).

During this time, Bob was introduced to Paul Poberezny. Paul was active in the Air Guard and was otherwise creating what became the hugely popular Experimental Airplane Association (EAA). Since Bob shared a strong interest in military & general aviation, the friendship was a good match.

Bob Nagy often visited the Poberezny’s basement, which was the original office of EAA, and volunteered his help. He worked at the EAA Rockford Fly-in for all the years at that location. Rockford was replaced by Oshkosh in 1970.

Mr. Nagy clawed his way through his ratings to become ever-increasingly qualified for commercial flying. To pay for all of this (and to provide alternative income) Bob studied at Milwaukee School of Engineering and was employed by several firms as an electronics engineer during the course of his work life.

Good aviation jobs were hard to get for a long period in the 1960s and beyond. At one point Bob accepted training and graduated from FAA Academy (OK City) as an ATC controller. He was employed for a short while at the MKE tower but the PATCO controller strike in 1981 changed his interest and direction.

Bob found good berth with Japan Airlines training facility in Napa CA, as an instructor. At JAL, he spent 14 years nurturing pilot candidates through all phases of training: ground schooling, simulator, and airplane. He became in-mate with the Beech C-90 (King Air). On the side, Bob and Diane enjoyed social life in Napa while helping the Japanese pilot candidates adjust to American culture and the English language.

After retirement from JAL, Bob moved to Sequim WA with his wife Diane. He shared a strong continuing relationship with EAA locally. Bob was active with local car clubs and loved showing his Chevy SSR.

Ratings and Certs: ASMEL, Commercial, CFI, CATS Instructor (Beech C-90). He had many hours in legacy airplanes of the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and was owner or partner in a few.

Bob marked his 87th birthday on March 22, 2025. As of March 29, 2025, Bob Nagy has “flown West”. He passed away peacefully at home after a short illness.