Andrea Laird said her father died beside her in Walnut Creek, Calif., on August 10.
According to her daughter, Laird in June enlisted the help of Dream Flight, a Nevada company “dedicated to honoring veterans and seniors with once-in-a-lifetime adventures,” according to the company’s website. and made its final flight.
He was joined by fellow fighter pilot Clarence “Bud” Anderson, who turns 101 in January.
“He and Bud would get together and have a bottle of champagne too. Every time we toasted after a flight,” Andrea Laird told CNN.
Born February 7, 1921 in Loomis, California, Laird enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 20 in 1942, just days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
“I think there was a love of flying. He already had a pilot’s license,” she said.
“He remembered seeing film footage of a biplane landing on the deck of a boat that had been turned into an aircraft carrier. […] He thought it would be a lot of fun. I want it “
In total, Laird shot down six or seven planes, according to the museum, but his official total is 5.75. The title of “Ace” is given to a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more enemy planes.
After serving 29 years in the U.S. Navy, Laird retired as a commander in 1971 at the age of 50.
During that time, he logged more than 8,200 hours on 3,662 jets, 4,623 prop planes, and 520 carrier landings, according to the San Diego Air and Space Museum.
“He truly embodies the spirit of aviation and space exploration and has earned a prestigious position in the prestigious International Aerospace Hall of Fame,” said Jim Kidrick, president and CEO of the museum.
Laird has also received several honors, including the Distinguished Flying Cross and Congressional Gold Medal.
When asked how she remembers her father, Andrea Laird said, “He had a very dry and funny sense of humor.”
“And he was a really generous man,” she said, adding that he tried to help people when he could.
