10 June 1969: The U.S. Air Force donated the first North American Aviation X-15, serial number 56-6670, to the Smithsonian Institution for display at the National Air and Space Museum. The first of three X-15A hypersonic research rocketplanes built by North American for the Air Force and the National Advisory Committee (NACA, the predecessor of NASA), 56-6670 made the first glide flight and
Gayle Gardner flew the F-100 with the 1738th Ferry Wing out of Kelly Field, TX; the 72nd Tactical Fighter Squadron out of Yakota AB, Japan; and the 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron out of Clark AB in the Philippines.
Gardner served as president of the U.S. War Veterans Foundation. “At 16, Gardner convinced a former World War II pilot to give him flying lessons after years of asking. He later joined the Air Force, working his way up as a commissioned officer. It took him only three years from being in a fighter squadron to being assigned to Headquarters United States Air Force. Following his career in the military, Gardner enjoyed success in the private sector; co-founding a no-load mutual fund in the U.S. and also co-founding a cargo airline company.”(1)
(1)Press Release — Hawaii Republican Assembly (HIRA) (hawaiideservesbetter.com)