Reginald Petty

June 29, 1925 – September 7, 2014

Reginald Petty, Colonel, USAF (Ret.), passed away peacefully at his home in Fair Oaks, CA, on Sunday, September 7, 2014 at age 89. He was preceded in death by his wife of 44 years, Theresa V. Petty, and his brothers Laymond R. Petty and Kenneth R. Petty. Mr. Petty was the son of the late Robert E. and Estelle Shoulders Petty of Nashville, TN. He is survived by son Richard G. Petty (Judy Wallace-Petty) of Centennial, CO, and daughter Marcy A. Petty of Hayward, CA.

A native of Tennessee, Mr. Petty came to California upon his retirement from the U.S. Air Force with the rank of Colonel. During his Air Force career he served as a consultant to the Pakistani Air force, was a special pilot assigned fly top civilian and military dignitaries such as Generals George Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower, and was the first American to land a jet transport in Moscow, USSR, following World War 2.

A cornerstone of Mr. Petty’s career was his involvement in research and development of aircraft life support equipment for sustained flight in the stratosphere. He was also involved with radar traffic control studies and ice formations in the Arctic. Upon retiring from the Air Force after 31 years of service he became a consultant for the California Division of Aeronautics.

Mr. Petty was an avid fisherman and enjoyed prospecting for gold. In his retirement he continued to enjoy traveling the world with family and friends.