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Maj. Rex Riley saved lives

  • Published
  • By Keith Wright
  • Air Force Safety Center Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Maj. Rex Riley began his safety career in the late 1940s when he was conceived by Capt. Richard Grant. Riley was the subject of a cartoon series devoted to spreading safety messages and saving lives.

The comic strip was released once a month for a span of more than 20 years. Over that time multiple cartoonists took on the task of sketching scenes from accidents that followed trends. They would have to sift through multiple accident reports to determine if any followed a pattern and then put their pen to the paper to draw the scene.

When completed, subject matter experts were brought in to examine the artwork to make sure they were accurate before being published.

Many of the cartoons depicted dramatic panels of pilots stubbornly flying into needless disasters. The artist would incorporate the whys of the mishaps and Riley would explain how they could be avoided.

The Rex Riley cartoons were included in copies of Flying Safety magazine, published 1944-1960, and Aerospace Safety magazine, published 1960-1980 with a circulation of around 45,000 across the Air Force. 

Lessons learned from this cartoon hero could possibly have resulted in saving hundreds of lives and millions of dollars' worth of aircraft.

As part of the Air Force Safety Center's 20th anniversary commemoration, Rex Riley cartoons will be published every month to the safety center's public website and social media sites.

Safety messages are enduring, so check out Rex Riley and find the lesson.