Inside Hartsfield-Jackson, on the very site that was once Eastern’s busiest hub, a bronze memorial preserves the names of Eastern Air Lines pilots whose careers shaped decades of American aviation and contributed significantly to Atlanta’s growth as a major transportation center. Mounted along a corridor wall of Atlanta’s North Terminal, the tribute features two bronze name plaques and a later addenda panel recognizing more than 7,000 men and women, living and departed, who flew for Eastern from 1928 through its final years. Next to each pilot’s name, their date of hire is etched into the quarter-inch-thick bronze, symbolizing their beginnings as part of the Eastern family. A smaller plaque in the middle celebrates their contributions to Atlanta’s airport and to commercial aviation, emphasizing Eastern’s role in regional history. Above the names, images of an Eastern B-727, a B-757, and a DC-10—designed by retired Eastern captain Jerry Frost—connect the pilots’ stories to the aircraft they flew.

For those who remember Eastern, and for those discovering its story for the first time, this exhibit is a powerful reminder of the enduring legacy of Eastern’s aviators. In the vibrant and chaotic bustle of a modern airport, these names remain, lifting their memories aloft long after the final Eastern flight has landed.

Visitors can now virtually explore this memorial in extraordinary detail through the Gigapan 3-D zoomable image.