Marion Cole
{{Infobox person
|name = Marion Franklin Cole
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|birth_date = 9 December 1924
|birth_place = Toulon Township, Illinois, US
|death_date = 8 July 2011
|death_place = Louisiana, US
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|nationality = American
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|known_for = Aerobatics
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|spouse = Charlene
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|children = 4
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|relations = Duane Cole - Aerobatic pilot brother.
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File:Marion Cole and his airplane at an air show in Stevens Point Wisconsin, about 1950.jpg
Marion Cole (1924–2011) was an American Aerobatic pilot.{{Cite journal|journal=Flying|date=December 1961|title=Art of Aerobatics|page=41}}
Early life
Cole was a flight instructor for the United States Navy in World War II.
Cole performed from 1947-1957 as part of the Cole Brothers Airshows along with his brothers Lester and Duane Cole, who remained in the business for many years flying a clipped wing Taylorcraft.{{cite journal|journal=Flying|date=July 1976|page=93|title=On Top}}
Cole performed in a variety of aircraft. Cole flew a 450 hp 1951 Stearman 75 with wingwalking apparatus and his name painted on the sides. Cole became the 1952 National aerobatic champion in this aircraft, selling it to Cole Brother's team member Bill Adams.{{cite journal|journal=Popular Mechanics|date=June 1962|title=Here come the Barnstormers|author=Frank A. Tinker.}} Cole was one of the founding members of the Red Devils aerobatic team with Bob Heuer and Gene Soucy. Cole then formed Marion Cole Air Shows.{{cite web|title=Marion Cole|url=http://www.eaa.org/news/2011/2011-07-11_cole.asp|access-date=17 January 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111217031644/http://eaa.org/news/2011/2011-07-11_cole.asp|archive-date=17 December 2011}}
{{Cite journal|journal=Air Trails|date=Winter 1971|page=48}} In 1971, Cole and Art Scholl purchased the first two Pitts S2A models in production, later becoming a Pitts dealer.{{cite book|title=Advanced Aerobatics|url=https://archive.org/details/advancedaerobati00szur|url-access=registration|author=Geza Szurovy, Mike Goulian|year=1996 |publisher=McGraw-Hill |isbn=9780070633025 }} Marion's original S-2A is still flying, and was returned from Canadian registry to US registry in 2018.{{cite web|title=N24MC Registration|url=https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=24MC|access-date=8 October 2018}} In the late 1970s Cole taught aerobatic training for civilian Beechcraft Bonanza pilots in a 1968 E33C.{{cite journal|journal=Flying|date=January 1978|page=87|title=Turning Training Upside Down|author=Russell Munson}}
Marion's son Donald Cole, became the first person to solo in a Pitts S2A. His other sons became professional pilots.{{cite journal|journal=Flying|date=July 1976|page=93|title=On Top}}
Cole died in 2011 from pancreatic cancer. He had flown safely for over 31,000 hours.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Aerobatics}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Marion}}