Scott air force base5/18/2023 ![]() ![]() armed forces, when much of the military remained racially segregated. In the early 1940s, the Tuskegee Airmen became the first African American military pilots in the U.S. ![]() Johnny Frye, 32, of Milwaukee, left, and Sidney Ganison, 31, of Waldorf, Maryland, go through flight pre-checks on Friday at Scott Air Force Base.įrye and Ganison were two of a three-person team of pilots last year to make history in becoming the first all African American crew to land a C-21 jet at Alabama's historic Tuskegee airfield. Louis Public Radio 458th Airlift Squadron Capts. “So when you first get into the aircraft, and your head is back on the seat, and it's a feeling I can't explain.” “It was unexplainable, because flying is not a natural thing that people do,” he said. “You go from doing desk work to being in the air on a consistent basis - it’s very fun.”įrye said the first time he was in the cockpit was difficult to describe but a defining moment in his career. Johnny Frye, 31, who's from Milwaukee, recently made the change from being an Air Force electrical engineer to a pilot flying C-21 jets. The international fleet located at Ramstein Air Base in southwestern Germany serves as the headquarters for the Air Force in Europe and will be deployed throughout the Middle East.Ĭapt. Typically, the base in the Metro East serves the majority of the continental United States - going as far as Alaska, Ganison explained. "Trying to get a member home in time to see their family because they have some sort of medical emergency or transporting a patient - those are the most memorable flights I've had,” Ganison said. While transporting high-ranking officials can be memorable, he said being able to work in medical operations stands out even more. Sidney Ganison of the 458th Airlift Squadron has been a pilot with the unit for about three years. Base officials gave members of the media a flight tour of the aircraft on Friday.Ĭapt. ![]() A full-size stretcher can fit in the back of one of the planes. It is predominantly used for transporting high-ranking government and military officials on a moment’s notice as well as for aeromedical evacuation operations. The jet is a retrofitted military-use version of the Learjet 35A Business aircraft. Scott Air Force Base is home to the only North American fleet of C-21 aircraft. ![]()
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