The writing is on the wall
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.
MORE PHOTOS BELOW
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.
Stories Posted This Week
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Saturday, September 12, 2026
Friday, September 11, 2026
- Mennonite Home Communities provide backup phone numbers during outage
- Pirate volleyball wins in four vs. Elmwood
- Howard Thornsberry worked in the produce industry
- Pirate girls soccer silenced by Bath
- Pirate boys soccer nipped by Liberty-Benton
- September 11 Bluffton High School athletics lineup, streaming
- Sept. 12 Open Doors offers sneak peek at future Bluffton museum space
- Innovation Forum challenges leaders to think deeper about AI
- Invitation to Sept 15 Bluffton Lions program with Dr. William H. Kose
- Deer archery hunting begins Sept. 12 in Disease Surveillance Area
Thursday, September 10, 2026
- Women in Business program with Positive Nutrition
- It's time for Fall Storytime at the Bluffton Public Library
- Pirate girls golf win vs. Lima Central Catholic
- Pirate boys golf splits NWC tri
- Bluffton PTO is collecting Community Markets receipts
- Richland Twp. trustees hire mower and Zoning Inspector
- Schumacher Homestead plans a farm full of Fall Fest activities
- Hindsight is 20/20: Recent reports for RSV, flu, and COVID-19
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
- Darrell Lee Diller, 92, managed a farming business
- Bluffton alumni will discuss pathways to chaplaincy
- Beaverdam cleanup day is Sept. 12
- Pirate boys golf 3rd at NWC quad
- Pirate volleyball outlasts Arlington
- Pirate girls soccer blanks Crestview
- Pirate boys soccer tie vs. Kalida
- Letter: The future of American agriculture
- Maple Grove Cemetery records now online