On Sunday, the aviation industry was saddened by the loss of famed Tuskegee Airman and American hero Brigadier General Charles McGee. He was 102. According to a family statement, McGee passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, at his home in Bethesda, Maryland.
McGee was best known for his leadership role with the Tuskegee Airman, the Army Air Corps’ first African American fighter squadron. Members of that celebrated outfit, also known as the 99th Flying Training Squadron, underwent initial training in Tuskegee, Alabama, from 1941 to 1949. Aviators including McGee received initial training in Boeing PT–17 Stearmans, which laid the foundation for advancing to such fighters as the North American P–51 Mustang and Curtiss P–40 Warhawk.
“Just like General McGee stretched boundaries his entire life, his loss is being felt far beyond aviation. He will always be known and treasured as a true inspirational American,” said AOPA President and CEO Mark Baker. “We are very fortunate to have known General McGee and have had him in our lives.”
During World War II, McGee completed 136 combat missions with the Tuskegee Airmen, and flew an additional 100 combat missions in the Korean War and 173 combat missions in the Vietnam War, amassing a three-war total of 409 flight missions.
“Brigadier General Charles McGee was a true American hero and the kindest and most humble patriot I have ever known. His dedication and service to our nation went far beyond his time and distinction as a three-war combat fighter pilot. He has been a role model to so many of us and even into his centenarian years, he tirelessly promoted education and careers in the aerospace to future generations. Brigadier General McGee lived an exemplary life and we have been so blessed to have him be a prominent part of some very special aviation events. We extend our deepest and heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. He will forever live in our hearts and be remembered as a national treasure,” said Pete Bunce, President and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), and Arsenal of Democracy Executive Committee member.
AOPA noted that they are proud to honor the life and legacy of Gen. McGee through the annual Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Aviation Inspiration Award. The honor is bestowed on the aviator who best lives up to the ideals of General McGee and pays it forward for generations to come. The inaugural McGee Award was presented to the general himself during a virtual ceremony in February 2021. The next McGee award will be presented during ceremonies in Washington, D.C., on March 23.
NBAA President and CEO, Ed Bolen said General McGee’s accomplishments are so extraordinary as to be almost beyond belief. “But even more impressive than all he did was the way in which he did it,” said Bolen. “He was the very personification of excellence, service, grace, humility and dignity. To be in his presence was to be in the presence of greatness.”
