The presentation occurred during the University of California Riverside’s 5th annual celebration of the Tuskegee Airmen, titled, Voices of the Tuskegee Airmen and Airwomen. XCOR CEO and founder, Jeff Greason presented the Legacy Flight ticket to Le Roy Gillead, who was one of the 401 original Tuskegee Airmen. Gillead served as a triple-rated navigator, bombardier, and aerial gunner and was assigned to the 477th Bombardment Group, which flew the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber. He was involved in the Freeman Field Mutiny, in which black officers faced court martial for attending a segregated white officers’ club. Gillead was put forward for the Legacy Flight by Tuskegee Airmen Western Region President Col. Ralph Smith (USAF-Ret).
“I am honored to accept this award on behalf of my comrades in the Tuskegee Airmen,” Gillead said. “When we volunteered, none of us knew exactly what the future would hold. I certainly didn’t expect it to lead to space.” Greason and Gillead thanked the Smith Family/Concerned Citizens Cultural Foundation for Minority Affairs (SCMEB Foundation) and UC Riverside Librarian Dr. Ruth Jackson for hosting the Tuskegee Airmen celebration.
XCOR will fly Mr. Gillead to the edge of space aboard its Lynx suborbital vehicle. The vehicle is expected to make its first flight in 2010, and commercial operations will begin after successful completion of its test flight program. Training and screening will be provided by XCOR’s General Sales Agent, RocketShip Tours.
