Albert Samual William Ricks, 96, passed away at home in Vero Beach, Florida on July 04, 2026.  Albert was born on December 24,1929 in Philadelphia, PA to Beulah Compton Ricks and Albert Rankin Ricks.

In his formative years Albert grew up with his family in Arlington VA.  While in Middle School, Albert decided he would follow in his father’s footsteps.  He asked to become a student pilot and pleaded with his father who was a Captain on United Airlines and a certified flight instructor.  His father decided if he maintained good grades his son could take flying lessons provided George Brinckerhoff was his instructor.  Mr. Brinckerhoff was a personal friend and an accomplished pilot and air racer.  He ran a flying service and managed College Park Airport in Maryland.  Each weekend Albert would make the long trek from Arlington VA to College Park, MD and back again.  Too young to drive, he would take a series of buses, street cars, and walk for miles each way.  Brinckerhoff trained him well.  Albert received his solo certificate at age 15.

In 1949, Albert graduated from Washington – Lee High School where he lettered in track and field.  Albert attended college at University of Lynchburg.  He served as the school’s newspaper cartoonist.  His many installments were popular for making classic fun and sarcastic humor about the many university topics and personalities of the day.  Feeling isolated in SW Virginia, Albert appealed to his parents to buy him a small single-engine airplane to visit them.  In his negotiations he argued that it would enable him to spend the holidays at home.  The tug at their heartstring strategy worked.  His father bought him a Taylorcraft, a popular but modest 2-seater high-wing monoplane which he flew on many pleasure sorties with his beloved college roommate and lifelong friend Billy Lineberry.

Upon meeting the mandatory 2 years of college credit Albert left Lynchburg and enrolled in the Naval Aviation College Program for flight training in Pensacola, Florida.  After completing 2 years of training and a year of active service as a naval aviator Albert received a promotion to Ensign.  As a naval aviator pilots are required to fly from aircraft carriers.  Albert’s active service was spent on carriers in the Caribbean flying what was known as a Hunter – Killer team.  It was comprised of 2 Grumman AF Guardians. One nicknamed the “Guppy” carried massive search radar to locate submarines from the air.  Albert flew the Killer nicknamed the “Scrapper” which carried the weapons payload, including depth charges and torpedoes, to destroy the target found by the Hunter.  The Hunter-Killer teams pioneered carrier-based anti-submarine tactics for the U.S. Navy.  Albert was discharged from the Navy on May 18, 1953.

Albert’s lifelong goal was to become a commercial airline pilot.  After consulting with his father, he applied to American Airlines.  He was hired by American in the winter of 1954 as a co-pilot flying out of Logan Airport in Boston, MA.  He later transferred to the Washington base flying out of Washington National Airport, now Reagan National, where he attained the rank of Captain and was the most senior pilot at the American Washington base up until mandatory retirement at age 60 in 1989.  In 1962 both he and his father were featured together in The Washington Post article celebrating the recent christening of Dulles International Airport.  Albert Jr., flying the co-pilot seat of an American Airlines Convair 240 made the first landing at the new airport and coincidentally Albert Sr. was the co-pilot on a Pennsylvania Central Airlines (later Capital now United) DC-3 which was the first airliner to land at Washington National Airport in June 1941 shortly before the field opened.

From 1964 – 2000 Albert lived in Annapolis, MD where he could do the 2 things he enjoyed most, boating and sport aviation.  He and his wife Agneta owned many sail and power boats.  As enthusiastic sailors they cruised throughout Chesapeake Bay and ventured up and down the East coast to as far as Nova Scotia, the Florida Keys and the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea.  During the Annapolis years he also built an airplane from scratch.  He bought original design plans for a Steen Skybolt, a classic open-cockpit two-seat homebuilt aerobatic biplane.  He enjoyed the high-performance aerobatic flying and was a frequent participant at airshows for classic and vintage aircraft.  The cost to build the aircraft was substantial and he determined to take the cost as a professional education expense on his personal income taxes.  The IRS did not initially agree and he was audited.  Ultimately, the IRS accepted the expense as valid after Albert’s passionate recitation of how Captain Harvey Glenn “Hoot Gibson” saved his plunging 727 during TWA Flight 841 in 1979. Well documented, the commercial airliner experienced a mechanical failure and went into a steep rollover dive deemed by the 727-flight manual as a terminal position from which the plane could not recover.  However, Captain Glenn attested before the NTSB that his ability to recover the plane was due to his early experience with unconventional and dynamic flying as a stunt pilot.

In 2000 Albert and Agneta relocated to Grand Harbor in Vero Beach, FL.  Albert continued to boat, took up golf, painting, cartooning, and was an avid online Chess player.  He frequently competed for up to 8 hours a day and attained a ranking of over 1,400.  No longer able to pass the physical required to fly airplanes, at age 90 he took up flying gliders.  After receiving his Private Pilot-Glider certificate he completed advanced training for a Commercial license, becoming an instructor at the Treasure Coast Soaring Club.  At age 93 he was recognized as the oldest naval aviator to fly commercially.  The Navy and local Regional Vero Beach Airport recognized his stature and invited him as a VIP guest to attend the biennial Vero Beach Air Show headlined by the world-renowned U.S. Navy Blue Angels.

Albert’s wife of 55 years, the former Agneta Pranér and his brother Jay Ricks predeceased him.  He is survived by his children David Ricks (Jo Lynn), Michael Ricks, Robin Jabin (Rod) and 5 grandchildren; Rodrick Jabin, Addie Jabin, Andrew Ricks, Olivia Ricks and Margo Ricks.

A private celebration of life will be held at the Garden Club of Indian River County in Vero Beach, Florida.  He will be interred in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.