James Dean Tilford, Jr. (1921-2000) was born in Boston and raised in Pittsburgh. Tilford attended Princeton University before joining the Army Air Corps during World War II, for which he was decorated. After the war, Tilford was manager for National Airlines in West Palm Beach and Tampa and was instrumental in bringing both Delta Airlines and Pratt-Whitney Aircraft to Palm Beach County in the late 1950s. Tilford founded Palm Beach Aviation in 1957 at Lantana Airport and Aviation Sales & Service in 1960 at Palm Beach International Airport.
Tilford, known as “Mr. General Aviation,” logged more than 10,000 hours in the air over 44 years. He hosted National Aviation Day annually to celebrate Orville Wright’s birthday with an air show and rides. Tilford Aviation was consistently ranked in the top twenty in the nation for service and earned a “Fixed Base Operation of the Year Award” in 1973 from the world’s largest jet charter company.
After Tilford sold the business in 1976, he remained active as director of local aviation groups. When he received the Wright Brothers Award from the Greater Miami Aviation Association in 1985, Tilford said, “One of the most satisfying things in my life has been the opportunity to fly coast-to-coast across this nation and see the ever-changing beautiful face of the land. “