Edward Franklin Rector (September 28, 1916 – April 26, 2001) was a colonel in the United States Air Force, a fighter ace of World War II, and a member of the Flying Tigers.

Rector, a native of Marshall, North Carolina, graduated from Catawba College in 1938 and began his military career as a naval aviator.

[5] In May 1942, he played a critical role in locating and attacking Japanese military columns attempting a push into China at the Salween River Gorge.

Rector retired from the United States Air Force in 1962 as a colonel and had a second career in the aviation industry as a consultant in India, North Africa, and Europe.

[6] He died April 26, 2001, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center after suffering a heart attack and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.