Glenn M Dail, long-time resident of Annapolis, MD, died February 25, 2024, from complications relating to Parkinson's Disease. He was 79 years old. He is survived by his wife, Merrie Marsh Dail; three children, Rhett Dail (Elizabeth) of Bowie, MD; Christopher Dail (Niharika) of Richmond, VA; and Whitney Yoerger (Jonathan) of Indianapolis, IN; and four Grandchildren, Ethan and Esabella Dail, and Shanti and Giyan Dail. He is also survived by his sister, Nancy Dail Taylor, of Mt. Olive, NC. Glenn retired from the FAA, and a career in federal service, in Washington, DC, where he was a member of the Aviation Rule Making Advisory Committee. He was previously employed as an Accident Investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board based in Washington, DC, and participated in numerous aircraft accident investigations, domestic and international, including that of the space shuttle Challenger. Early career assignments involved sustaining engineering design on A-7 and F-14 military aircraft, as well as certification of Boeing commercial aircraft.

Glenn was designated a Naval Aviator in October 1970 in Pensacola, FL, and enjoyed a Navy career of more than twenty-three years. As a Flag Aide at Miramar, CA, he also had the opportunity to hone his skills flying training exercises for the early Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun). He was a recipient of the Geoffrey Dillon Award for excellence in carrier landing qualification, and while based at NAS Lemoore, CA, had one sea tour in Vietnam. After leaving active duty, he affiliated with Reserve Squadrons, juggling a civilian career and that of a Naval Aviator. Later in his career, he was assigned to the Pentagon, which included participation in seven worldwide command post exercises. Glenn was born and raised in Mt. Olive, NC, where he was a class officer, active in high school team sports, and participated in Boy Scouts, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. He received his private pilot license in March of 1965, and graduated from NC State University in 1967. To interview for his first job, Glenn of course rented an airplane rather than drive. He maintained a lifelong friendship with his mentor, Keith Finch, of Dunn, NC who taught him to fly as a teenager at a small grass strip in nearby Irwin. Glenn was a firm believer in life-long learning, and throughout his career regularly sought out and attended military, government and industry courses concerning aviation safety and design. He also held commercial ATP, FE and Turbojet licenses.

As one might guess, his first love was airplanes, whether flying, construction, safety, and design. His spare time was spent building a Thorp T-18, a high-performance sport plane. After being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he continued to fly small aircraft as long as possible, eventually with an instructor for safety. Recently, when asked what drew him to airplanes, he was silent for a long while, then said, "You just look up, and you see them."

A graveside service with military honors will be held on Thursday, August 1, 2024 at 3pm in Arlington National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Glenn's memory to the UF Foundation, PO 100243, Gainesville, FL 32610. Donations will be used for research and programs in Parkinson's and Lewy Body dementia.