Hilbert Leigh Bair

Lieutenant Hilbert Leigh Bair was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.

Military career

Bair joined the U.S. Army Air Service on 18 July 1917. He was forwarded to the Royal Air Force for seasoning, and was assigned to 24 Squadron on 5 July 1918. On 22 August, he shared his first win with fellow ace William Lambert and other pilots, driving a Fokker D.VII. Bair shared one of his two 29 August victories with another pilot. The next day, Bair and Horace Barton cooperated in the destruction of an Albatros reconnaissance plane. Bair singlehandedly destroyed a Fokker D.VII on 8 September. A week later, for his last triumph, he again teamed with Barton in the destruction of a Hannover recon plane. In October, Bair transferred back to an American unit, the 25th Aero Squadron.
In World War II, Hilbert Bair returned to service in the U.S. Army Air Force as a lieutenant colonel.