Template:Multiple issuesJohn Gilbert "Tex" Rankin (January 20, 1894, Texas – February 23, 1947 Klamath Falls) was an aerobatic pilot, barnstormer, air racer, and flight instructor from the 1920s to the 1940s. Born in Texas on January 20, 1894, Rankin began flying in 1913, when airplanes were still considered a new oddity. While serving in the Washington State National Guard in 1916, he was ordered to Mexico for border duty. As World War I was declared, Rankin was activated into the U.S. Army, where he served in the U.S. Signal Corps Aviation Section until 1919.