Airport named after Forrest Bird

SANDPOINT — Sandpoint Airport has been given the honorary name of Dr. Forrest M. Bird Field.

Bonner County commissioners Cary Kelly and Todd Sudick adopted a resolution Tuesday bestowing the honorary title on the county's facility.

Jim Kaiser, director of airports in Bonner County, said aviators petitioned the county to install the honorary name following the passing of the highly regarded airman and inventor. Bird, 94, died on Aug. 3.

“Doctor Forrest M. Bird has made considerable contributions to aviation, to aviation safety and aviation physiology, and has spent his life promoting aviation in all forms and has left an indelible mark on Bonner County through the Bird Aviation Museum & Inventors Center,” Kaiser said.

Bird, a biomedical engineer, is known for developing some of first reliable, mass-produced cardiopulmonary care ventilators. He’s a member of the Inventor’s Hall of Fame and his devices are credited with saving countless lives.

Bird was also a U.S. Army Air Corps aviator during World War II and a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. Kelly said Bird was one of the first people to receive a helicopter pilot’s license and said Bird’s fingerprints were on a positive-pressure breathing apparatus he used while flying jets for the U.S. Marine Corps.

“The pressure breathing apparatus that we had to use was part of his invention and that enabled us to fly at higher altitude and pull more Gs because of the pressure breathing system that we had in the aircraft,” said Kelly, also a retired colonel.

Assessor Jerry Clemons recalled sitting with Bird and hearing amazing stories. One memorable story involved an aerial encounter when Bird was in his teens.

“He was out flying solo and saw this thing. He flew around it and it happened to be the Hindenburg blimp. It crashed a few hours later,” said Clemons.

Doctor Pam Bird, Forrest Bird’s widow, thanked the commission for the honor on behalf of the entire Bird family.

“I know he watching over us from the skies because old pilots never die. They just get a new set of wings,” she said.