Who says 101-year-old can't have fun, too?
The oldest living Tuskegee Airman Brigadier General Charles McGee, who is 101 years old, took flight last Sunday with a host of family members for the EAA AirVenture, one of the largest aviation events in the world.
“I’ve been here many, many times, but to get back here again as I approach 102 is marvelous,” McGee said at the event’s headquarters in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Local 5 reported.
“Being able to come here and share with people that just like to look at airplanes or maybe kick the tires or maintain them, you can’t beat that,” he added.
McGee was joined on the flight by famous aviator Shaesta Waiz, who is known for piloting a single-engine aircraft across the globe in 2017, and his military pilot son, Ron McGee. Along with other family and friends, the 101-year-old’s great-grandson 15-year-old Lain Lanphier also joined on the journey from Dulles International Airport.
“It was an honor," Lanphier said. “I’ve never flown with him before, and although he’s very old, 102 almost, it’s amazing...he has a legacy to live up to and I strive to achieve that every day.”
The Tuskegee Airmen, given the title for training at the Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama, were the first Black aviators in the military serving under the U.S. Army Air Corps (AAC) in the early 1940s. Their contributions include flying more than 15,000 individual sorties in Europe and North Africa during World War II, earning them more than 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses. Ultimately, the airmen joined the U.S. Air Force, which inspired the integration of the U.S. military.
During his active duty, McGee completed over 400 combat missions between World War II and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. For his honorary service, McGee has received a Congressional Gold Medal and was promoted to brigadier general by Congress in 2020.
Grant Kielczewski, manager of communications for Dessault Falcon Jet, said it was an “honor” to provide the transportation for McGee and his family.
“It is an honor and we are proud to transport a living hero, who proudly served his country,” Kielczewski said.
Now, McGee is serving his community by inspiring the next generation of aviators to follow their dreams.
“I want to be like him,” Lanphier told The Washington Post. “I hope to touch people’s lives just like Papa Gee.”
Lanphier also shared that he’s preparing to join the Air Force Academy and eventually wants to become an astronaut.
“I think he wants to go farther than me, he wants to get into space. I didn’t quite make that,” McGee said jokingly.
At the end of June, Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City gave one of their terminals a new title - Charles E. McGee General Aviation Terminal in honor of McGee, according to AeroTech News.
“Aviation is an important technology and something we hope all youngsters get an interest in,” the retired Tuskegee Airman said. “The young folks are the future of this country. I don’t have too much time left here, so mentoring them is one of the most important things I can do.”
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