James H. Flatley III

James H. Flatley III was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. A Naval Aviator, fighter pilot and test pilot, he is the son of Vice Admiral James H. Flatley.

Career

Flatley's KC-130F Hercules aboard the USS Forrestal (1963). The aircraft is now displayed at the National Museum of Naval Aviation.

While a lieutenant at the Naval Air Test Center at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, Flatley and his fellow crew members, "Smokey" Stovall and Ed Brennan, made history when they completed 21 full-stop landings and takeoffs in a Lockheed C-130 Hercules aboard the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal; it was the largest plane, with the heaviest load, ever to successfully land on a carrier. Flatley later commanded the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga. He retired in 1987.

Awards he received during his career include the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. He has also been inducted into the U.S. Naval Aviation Carrier Hall of Fame and the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame.