Veteran Aviation Journalist Dave Higdon was an Award-Winning Reporter and Photographer

Former Wichita Eagle Aviation Writer Dies at 73

WICHITA, KS—JULY 26, 2022:  Dave Higdon, whose award-winning coverage of the aviation industry spanned more than four decades and included a stint as the Aviation reporter for the WICHITA EAGLE, has died at the age of 73.  The veteran writer, photographer, and blogger was a fixture at aviation events around the world, including the annual EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI, which began on Monday. For more than 20 years, beginning in 1994, Higdon reported on the world’s largest air show in EAA Today and AirVenture Today. 

Industry leaders at AirVenture reacted to his passing. “No one loved general aviation more or covered it with more passion and depth than Dave,” noted Ed Bolen, President of the National Business Aviation Association. Tom Haines, recently retired  Editor-in-Chief of AOPA magazine and Sr. Vice President of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association said, “So sad to see this. Dave was a mentor of mine when I was at PRO PILOT and he was at the Journal of Commerce in DC.”

A native of Indiana, he began his journalism career as a staff reporter at Glider Rider magazine in Chattanooga, TN in 1981.  After spending a year as the Director of Communications for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, he moved to the New York Journal of Commerce as an aviation reporter before becoming Executive Editor of Runways Southern California in Los Angeles in 1990.

From 1991 to 1996 Higdon served as the aviation reporter for the WICHITA EAGLE. Having previously spent three years as an aviation editor for the EAGLE’s parent company, Knight-Ridder newspapers, he opted to form PhotoProse Productions in the mid-‘90s to provide words, photos, content and consulting to aviation clients.

In recent years, he has also served as a Contributing Editor to both AVIONICS NEWS magazine and AvBuyer, where he also contributed a weekly blog.  He was one of the three founders of Uncontrolled Airspace, a long-running and award-winning podcast for general aviation pilots, owners, and enthusiasts.  In 2010, he received FLYING magazines Bax Seat Award which honors freelance journalists and is named after long-time FLYING columnist, Gordon Baxter.

Higdon, who was a licensed pilot with an instrument rating, also received the National Business Aviation Association’s Gold Wing Award for Journalism Excellence in 2016 for a series of articles he authored for AvBuyer on international business aviation operations.

“Dave Higdon was a prolific writer and outstanding photographer who covered our industry with style and skill for nearly half a century,” said Wichita Aero Club President Emeritus Dave Franson.  “He was a popular purveyor of stories and insights and will be greatly missed.”

“We are greatly saddened by the passing of our podcast partner, Dave Higdon,” said Uncontrolled Airspace co-founder Jeb Burnside.  “He was a friend and colleague of unlimited talent and generosity.  Our podcast will not be the same without him.”

 Dave Higdon was preceded in death by his wife of 25 years, Annie Best.  Details on a celebration of his life are pending.

Memorial tribute: Friends and colleagues of Dave are raising funds to honor his legacy with a brick in his name at the Brown Arch in Oshkosh -- one of Dave's favorite places throughout his career. Learn more at https://www.gofundme.com/f/honor-dave-with-a-brick-at-brown-arch-osh.

Kelsey AstleComment