Jerry Landis began flying and taking pictures from planes in the mid-1950s. He started his first aerial photography business in 1958 and grew Landis Aerial Surveys to a national company before selling it in 1989. But, Jerry went on to start two more aerial photography companies. If you ever met Jerry in recent years, you would have been surprised to find he was in his 70s. When I met him in the summer of 2006 he still woke up each day and hiked 5 miles near his desert home in Tempe, Arizona. He had a zest for life, and his business, which would lead you to believe he was 20 years younger. I’m sure there is no one else who did more in the aerial photography business in one life. Jerry passed away on October 8th, 2007 after a courageous battle with brain cancer. His enthusiasm for life, and the aerial photography business, is carried on by his son Bill Landis at their company Aerials Express – which provides aerial photography throughout the US. Read more about Jerry Landis’ life at Arizona Central. And, here are a few placemarks 
in Google Earth showing some key places in Jerry’s life – a great pilot, entrepreneur, and a legend in the aerial photography business.
About Frank Taylor
Frank Taylor started the Google Earth Blog in July, 2005 shortly after Google Earth was first released. He has worked with 3D computer graphics and VR for many years and was very impressed with this exciting product. Frank completed a 5.5 year circumnavigation of the earth by sailboat in June 2015 which you can read about at Tahina Expedition, and is a licensed pilot, backpacker, diver, and photographer.
I know quite a few people who are going to be very moved by Jerry’s passing, myself included. My thoughts are with his family and the Aerials Express team.