A natural aviator, Chalmers "Slick" Goodlin learned to fly at the New Alexandria Airport. In World War II he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he earned his wings, then flew for the U.S. Navy. In 1944 he became a test pilot for Bell Aircraft and made 26 flights in the Bell XS-1 rocket plane, breaking the sound barrier in 1947 before turning the plane over to the Army's Chuck Yeager. Later, he was CEO of the Burnelli Co., championing a safer design for aircraft. In 2005 he was inducted into the Florida Aviation Hall of Fame.