Robert (Bob) H. Simmers was born in
Jamestown, North Dakota and was raised on a
farm southeast of Jamestown. He attended a
one room school house through the 7th grade,
spent the 8th grade in Spiritwood and graduated
from Jamestown High in 1965. He attended
NDSU and joined the North Dakota National
Guard in 1966. He was honorably discharged in
1971 after serving at Fort Lewis Washington as
a Drill Instructor. He returned to the farm in
1972 and farmed with his dad until turning to
aviation in 1984.
Although Bob’s professional aviation career
did not start until 1984, his childhood
upbringing engrained aviation into Bob’s way
of life. Bob’s parents, Francis and Irene
Simmers, each had their private pilot’s license
and used aviation as a means to enhance their
personal life styles through travel as well as a
tool to enhance their farming and ranching
operations. Until about 2000 this Simmers
Farm was listed on sectional charts with two
grass strip runways maintained seasonally.
Bob soloed in 1963. Throughout the years he
enjoyed the privilege of leisure flight. In 1984
he studied for and took the first of 13 check
rides that took him from a private pilot to a
flight instructor with instrument and ME
ratings and earned him FAR Part 135 letters in
both single and multi-engine aircraft.
He became employed as an ag and charter pilot
in the spring of 1984 at Jamestown Aviation. In
1985 he became an FAA designated pilot
examiner and over the next 18 years was a
significant part of many pilots’ progression. He
became General Manager of Jamestown
Aviation in 1987 and moved to Bismarck in
1988 to assume the duties of Chief Pilot and
Check Airman for an air taxi operation. He
served as President of the North Dakota
Aviation Council in 1989 and 1990.
Bob founded Aircraft Management Services in
1990, which has grown into Bismarck Aero
Center and Mandan Aero Center, focusing on
premier services and a positive working
environment while offering aircraft
maintenance, fuel, avionics, pilot services,
hangars and flight instruction.
At the time of his induction into the Hall of
Fame Bob had accumulated over 16,000 hours
of flight time and flew over 100 different
makes and models of aircraft.
He served on the North Dakota Unmanned
Aerial Systems Authority through appointment
of Governor Dalrymple. Bob has been
appointed to several UAS endeavors by the
State of North Dakota as a result of his voice of
reason and his vision of co-existence between 

GA and the UAS industry. Bob’s focus in
shared airspace between the parallel industries
has not waivered through his involvement of
the UAS industry. Throughout the State of
North Dakota’s UAS endeavor, Bob has
received the respect of those in the UAS
industry both nationally and within the state of
North Dakota while staying true to his
representation of the North Dakota GA
industry.
What is truly remarkable about Bob is his
selfless nature amidst his accomplishments. As
he looks for opportunities to protect, improve
and share aviation, he also gives rides with the
Experimental Aircraft Association and with
friends and family, raises funds for charities
such as the Scottish Rite Speech Therapy
Center for Children and sponsors aviation
activities. He speaks, writes, organizes, and
gives to his community in numerous ways,
whether for neighbors during the Bismarck
flood of 2011 or a winter storm, the Salvation
Army, Free Masons, Junior Achievement, or
other entities.
Bob’s love for aviation has been transferred to
his children, with two sons and one
granddaughter directly involved in aviation.
Bob and his wife, Carol, live in Bismarck. They
have four boys and seven grandchildren.