The writing is on the wall.
In 2016 the Bluffton Airport Advisory Commission requested the village to name the Bluffton Airport terminal as the Dottie Anderson Terminal. That request was approved and the sign is now on the terminal.
Anderson, a lifelong pilot at Bluffton Flying Services, died Dec. 8, 2012.
She graduated from Bluffton High School and Bowling Green State University. She began her flying career as a pilot of small aircraft while still in her teens and at one time built her own plane, a Pitts Special.
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Over the years she taught hundreds of students and flew in numerous air races throughout the country, most notable participating in 32 Air Race Classics, with a 4th place her best finish.
In 1978 she became a flight examiner. Over the years, she logged over 40,000 hours in the air. She was a member of the Ninety-Niners, AOPA (Air Craft Owners and Pilots), and EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association), as well as several other professional flying organizations.
Best known as a pilot at the Bluffton Flying Service, she was selected for participation in the Astronaut Training Program in Colorado during its early years. She declined as “it was a really busy time at the airport and they were shorthanded” and she didn’t have the means to pay for this “unfunded for females” invitation.
