John H. Livingston the age of 76. Livingston was inducted into the Iowa aviation Hall of Fame in 1995. His Waco taperwing has been donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin where it has been restored. John Livingston is considered to be the inspiration and namesake for the book and film "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by author and pilot Richard Bach. Livingston-Betsworth Field, as well as the fixed-based operator at the Waterloo, Iowa municipal airport, are named in his honor. John H. Livingston John H. Livingston (1897–1974) was an American aviator and air race pilot of the 1920s and 1930s. Livingston placed
Curtiss SOC Seagull and observation roles. The SOC was not called the "Seagull" until 1941, when the U.S. Navy began the wholesale adoption of popular names for aircraft in addition to their alpha-numeric designations. The name 'Seagull' had earlier been given to two civil Curtiss aircraft, a Curtiss Model 18 and a Model 25, both converted Curtiss MF flying boats. When operating as a seaplane, returning SOCs would land on the relatively smooth ocean surface created on the sheltered side of the vessel as it made a wide turn, after which the aircraft would be winched back onto the deck. When the SOC