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This Day in History – June 10, 1969 – The X-15 gets a place in history

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

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Lape, Gary D.

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Gary D. Lape

Preferred Name: Gary
Date of Birth: September 8, 1940
Highest Military Grade: 0-6 – Colonel
Hometown: Cordova, AK
Gary D. Lape - before
Biography
Pilot Information
Album

“I was raised in Cordova, Alaska and retired in Tucson, Arizona It was great! 5050 hours at the controls (1750 in the Hun). I worked closely with Army, Navy, Marines, NATO, CIA, DIA, DEA and a couple of other 3-letter companies. Even the staff jobs provided some fun.

We moved to Tucson in 1994; bought a motorhome & traveled until we got tired. We sold the motorhome and I came out of retirement to take a job as the Director of Operations of NextMed, a national medical services firm headquartered here in Tucson.
Retired again in 2006 and get my kicks now spending weekends in the 14 prison yards that surround Tucson, working in Chuck Colson’s (of Watergate fame) Prison Fellowship Ministry.

Maybe I’ll see some of you guys there.”

Units Assigned

  • 9/1962-10/1963 UPT at Williams AFB, AZ (T-37, T-38)
  • 11/1963-7/1964 4515th Combat Crew Training Squadron, Luke AFB, AZ (F-100)
  • 7/1964-6/1965 524th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Cannon AFB,  NM, rote to Misawa/Kunsan (F-100)
  • 6/1965-11/1965 481st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Tan Son Nhut AB, Vietnam (F-100)
  • 12/1965-12/1968 4517th Combat Crew Training Squadron, Luke AFB, AZ (F-100 IP, AT-33 IP)
  • 12/1968-8/1969 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Bien Hoa AB, Vietnam (F-100;)
  • 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Stan-Eval (flew with 510th, 90th, & 531st)
  •  8/1969-12/1970 4516th Combat Crew Training Squadron, Academic Instructor, 4515th Combat Crew Training Squadron (F-100)
  • 12/1970-12/1972 4th Mechanized Infantry Division/2nd Brigade FAC/ALO, Ft. Carson, CO (O2-A)
  • 1/1973-8/1974 76th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Alex (A-7)
  • 8/1974-8/1975 3rd Tactical Fighter Squadron/388th Tactical Fighter Wing, Chief of Fighter Stan Eval, Korat AB, Thailand (A-7)
  • 8/1975-8/1976 Air Command & Staff (finally got grounded)
  • 8/1976-8/1978 Tactical Air Defense Plans Officer & USAF Advisor to Commander, NATO Amphibious Task Force Atlantic, aboard USS Mt. Whitney (LCC-20), home-ported, Norfolk, VA. (spent 12 of 24 months at sea)
  • 8/1978-5/1981 357th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, DM, Asst Ops/Ops (A-7, A-10)
  • 5/1981-8/1982 CC, 333rd Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, DM, (A-10)
  • 8/1982-4/1984 HQ TAC, Chief of Flight Safety, Langley AFB, VA (grounded again)
    4/1984-7/1985 DIA, Washington DC: Attaché, Spanish Language and C-12 training
  • 7/1985-7/1988 US Embassy, Quito Ecuador, Ecuador-Colombia-Peru (C-12)
  • Inter-American Defense College, Ft McNair, Senior USAF Advisor

Awards & Decorations

Defense Super Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion Of Merit
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross
Meritorious Service Award
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal
Air Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
USAF Commendation Medal
Navy Marine Corps Commendation Medal
Navy Commendation Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Star of Armed Forces of Ecuador
Star of the Armed Forces of Ecuador

Flight Info

T-37
T-38
F-100
AT-33
O2-A
A-7
A-10
C-12

Military & Civilian Education

Military Education:

  • UPT, Willie Air Patch, Class 64-C, F-100 Training @ Luke, Class 65A-1
  • IPIS, T-38, USAF Academic IP Course
  • ICAF, US Army Command & General Staff College, Air Command & Staff College
  • USN Amphibious Warfare Planning School
  • Defense Intelligence/Attaché Course, Spanish Language Training at FSI, Inter-American Defense College

Civilian Education:

  • 1962 BS, Oregon State University
  • 1976 MBA, Auburn University
  • 1993 AA,CIS/MIS, Strayer Business College, Washington, DC

Lape, Gary With Wife
Album Slideshow
Slideshow
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