Aviation Expert Dies After Decades of Contributions

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Nicknamed "Rocket Man," Graham was celebrated as being the engineer who developed the first ever jet pack in the early 1960s.

Graham did several demonstration flights and, in 1961, showed off his so-called "Bell Rocket" belt to then president John F. Kennedy.

CROSSVILLE, Tenn.- A Tennessean credited with making significant contributions to the world of aviation has died. Harold "Hal" Graham, of Crossville, was found dead in Nashville, Thursday, October 22.

Friends tell NewsChannel 5, Graham was an avid flyer whose life as a pilot revolved around the airport and defying gravity. Nicknamed "Rocket Man," Graham was celebrated as being the engineer who developed the first ever jet pack in the early 1960s. Graham did several demonstration flights and, in 1961, showed off his so-called "Bell Rocket" belt to then president John F. Kennedy, also at the Pentagon in Washington.

Graham, who was in his 70s, most recently was owner and operator of Cumberland Air Charter, an air charter service in his native Crossville. Funeral arrangements are pending at Hood Funeral Home.