Arthur Raymond Brooks Arthur Raymond Brooks ( 1 November 1895 - 17 July 1991 ) was a World War I flying ace of the United States Army Air Service credited with shooting down six enemy aircraft . He was a pioneer in the development of radio navigation al aids ( NAVAIDs ) used by pilots for location and navigation as well as air - to - ground communications . Brooks also participated in early endeavors to commercialize aviation as a passenger carrying business and was one of the earliest commercial pilots involved with carrying mail ( air mail ) for the US Post Office Department . Early life and World War I . Brooks was born in Framingham , Massachusetts . He graduated as valedictorian from Framingham Academy and High School in Massachusetts in 1913 and from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1917 . He enlisted in the U . S . Army Signal Officer Reserve Corps and attended the School of Military Aeronautics with the Royal Flying Corps in Canada from September to November 1917 . Brooks then trained with the Texas 139th Squadron from November 1917 to February 1918 . In March 1918 , Brooks was transferred to France , where he flew the SPAD XIII C . 1 " Smith IV " , which now resides in the aircraft collection of the National Air and Space Museum . While in France he became flight commander of the 22nd Aero Squadron . His combat actions earned him a recommendation for the Medal of Honor . The U . S . Army , upon review of the action awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross . Ray Brooks was one of the pilots featured in the series " Dogfights " presented by The History Channel . Season 2 , Episode 7 titled " " The First Dogfighters " " depicts Brooks ' solo dogfight against eight German Fokker D . VII aircraft on September 14 , 1918 . During the aerial mêlée he shot down four Fokkers , though U . S . Army records only credited him with two . He was finally able to escape the last four pursuing enemy aircraft by using his superior diving speed . Brooks is the subject of a 1963 book entitled " Capt . Arthur Ray Brooks : America ' s quiet ace of W . W . I " by Walter A Musciano . He is also the subject of the painting " Last Victory " by noted aviation artist Roy Grinnell . Brooks returned to the United States in July 1919 and was stationed at Kelly Field , Texas , where he was promoted to Captain and assigned as the commander of the 1st Pursuit Group . He was subsequently assigned to the Air Service Field Officer ' s School , Langley Field , Virginia . He resigned from the army and received an Honorable Discharge in December 1922 . After World War I . As a civilian , Brooks established Florida Airways Corporation , which eventually became Eastern Airlines . He was also involved in the Contract Air Mail Route No . 10 , and worked for the U . S . Department of Commerce , Aeronautics Branch where he was responsible for surveying what would become the nation ' s first air routes . He also supervised the first installations of radiobeacons to aid airmail pilots navigating between New York and Washington , D . C . He joined Bell Telephone Laboratories ( 1928 ) , where he supervised air operations and the testing of electronic aids for air navigation and communications . He was responsible for the development of air - to - ground communications systems . He retired from Bell Labs as its Chief Pilot in 1960 . He was also involved in numerous early flying clubs which were forming to encourage participation in aviation for both personal / pleasure and commercial purposes . Circa 1985 , Mr . Brooks ( age 90 at the time ) , was visiting the Smithsonian Institution ' s National Air and Space Museum ' s restoration facility in Silver Hill , Maryland with a family member . Upon entering a storage hangar as part of the tour , he spotted a tattered World War I vintage SPAD XIII airplane , the type he flew during the war . As he drew nearer the aircraft , he was astonished to discover it was " his " very aircraft . He climbed into the cockpit and was immediately approached by a restoration technician who advised him in a very stern manner that these aircraft are delicate pieces of American history and visitors are not permitted to touch , much less sit in them . When Mr . Brooks explained that this was his airplane , the technician ’ s first thought was of a doddering old veteran , longing for the real or imagined glory days of yesteryear . While Mr . Brooks ' speech and external mannerisms were befitting of a nonagenarian , his mind was as sharp as it was 30 or 40 years past . He spoke to the technician as if reading from a history book about the last time this aircraft was in action over France . Included in the lesson was the name and serial number of the plane , which was not readily visible . The technician was aware of the aircraft ' s history and asked the old gentleman to stay right where he was while he summoned the NASM curator emeritus , Paul E . Garber . Less than two years after this meeting , Ray Brooks ' fully restored SPAD " Smith IV " was unveiled with great fanfare at the National Air and Space Museum ' s ' Great War in the Air ' exhibit ( Gallery 206 ) . Mr . Brooks was in attendance as a guest of honor at the ribbon cutting ceremony and treated those present to a first - person history of several World War I missions in which he participated . Brooks remained involved with aviation for the remainder of his life . Even in his nineties , he enjoyed flying all sorts of aircraft , including ultralights , gliders and hot - air balloons . He belonged to many aviation - related and professional associations and organizations including the American Legion , Military Order of the World Wars , Combat Pilots Association , Order of Daedalians , Air Force Association , OX - 5 Aviation Pioneers Association , Telephone Pioneers of America , Cross and Cockade , Associate Fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics , Quiet Birdmen , World War I Overseas Flyers and the American Fighter Aces Association . Brooks also remained involved with the alumni affairs of his alma mater — MIT . He attended numerous air shows and reunions , including the sixty - fifth , and final reunion , held for the Lafayette Flying Corps at Peterson AFB , Colorado in 1983 . In 1980 , he was inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey . An extensive collection of his diaries , correspondence and other papers is maintained by the National Aviation and Space Museum . These papers relate to his military career with the U . S . Army Air Service ( 1917 – 22 ) , his years in both civilian government service and the private sector ( 1923 – 60 ) , as well as a lifetime ' s involvement in numerous military , academic , aeronautical and professional associations and organizations . Additionally , there are examples of correspondence and autographed photographs from such aerospace notables as Eddie Rickenbacker , Jimmy Doolittle , Billy Mitchell , Clayton Bissell , Reed Chambers and Michael Collins . Brooks died at age 95 on July 17 , 1991 at his home in Summit , New Jersey . At the time of his death , he was the last surviving American World War I ace who served in a U . S . Squadron . He is buried in a family plot in North Framingham , Massachusetts . Text of citations . Distinguished Service Cross . " The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Arthur Raymond Brooks , Second Lieutenant ( Air Service ) , U . S . Army , for extraordinary heroism in action over Mars - la - Tour , France , September 14 , 1918 . When his patrol was attacked by 12 enemy Fokkers over Mars - la - Tour , 8 miles within the enemy lines , Second Lieutenant Brooks alone fought bravely and relentlessly with eight of them , pursuing the fight from 5 , 000 meters to within a few meters of the ground , and though his right rudder control was out and his plane riddled with bullets , he destroyed two Fokkers , one falling out of control and the other bursting into flames " . " See also . " Capt . Arthur Ray Brooks : America ' s Quiet Ace of W . W . I " Walter A . Musciano . Hobby Helper , 1963 .