AIRPOWER HISTORY - CELEBRATING NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

Excerpts from the FAA Mike Monroney Center Aeronautical Center broadcast:

National observation for Hispanic Heritage Month began in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Regan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period, starting on September 15th.  This was in recognition of the anniversary of Spanish Independence for several Latin American countries: El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Nicaragua.  September 16th represents Independence for Mexico, while Chile celebrates Independence on September 18th.  October 10th is Columbus Day, also known as Indigenous People’s Day.  Every year, Americans observe this month by celebrating histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central, and South America.

Elwood Richard Quesada

(born in 1904) was one of the most prominent Hispanic Americans in the US Air Force.  In 1924, he was in the Army Air Corps and rose to the rank of Lieutenant General. He commanded the 9th Fighter Command, which provided air cover for the allied breakout of Normandy.

He became Director of the Federal Aviation Administration in 1958.

Olga E. Custodio

was the first Hispanic female military pilot. She received her wings in 1981 as a T-38 instructor pilot.

She retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2003 as a Lieutenant Colonel. She was one of the first Latina commercial airline pilots and flew a variety of aircraft including the Boeing 727 and 757.

Franklin Chang Diaz

was the first Hispanic American Astronaut. He was born in Costa Rica and moved to the U.S. in 1969. He attained a Ph.D. from MIT and was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1980. His first space flight was in 1986 aboard STS-61-C and he would eventually participate in six additional missions.