A retired Commander and longtime Coronado resident reached a personal milestone Saturday: flying 100 different air crafts.
Retired Commander Dean “Diz” Laird is the single-known ace to achieve victories against both German and Japanese aircraft during World War II.
A veteran of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, 95-year-old Laird flew a T-34C Turbomentor off the coast of San Diego Saturday and celebrated his accomplishment with a few aileron rolls before coming in for landing.
"I was so excited and honored to fly with a true legend, how many people can say they flew with 'Diz' Laird," said Lt. Cmdr. Nicole Johnson, who flew with Laird Saturday in the Turbomentor.
"Then he had to make me look bad by being a better pilot at 95 [years old]. It is men like this that paved the way for the rest of us," Johnson said in a statement.
Flying 100 different aircraft is a true accomplishment for any pilot. For comparison, Johnson stated that she has flown only 15 different aircraft during her 12 year career.
During his lifetime, Laird has operated in 175 combat and training missions, flew in the Navy’s first jet squadron and served on 12 different carriers. He was the first person to land a jet-powered aircraft aboard the USS Midway and has the most arrested landings on a straight-deck carrier.
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Laird also choreographed and was the lead stunt pilot for the reenactment of the Pearl Harbor attack in 20th Century Fox’s 1969 film "Tora! Tora! Tora!"
After touching back down, the high-flying legend offered some advice for young aviators.
Laird said that his policy has "always been that every fighter pilot has two main assets once they're airborne. One is altitude and the other is speed," he said in a statement.
"Never give up one, without gaining something on the other," Laird said.
A 5th generation California, Laird and his wife Lorraine moved their family to Coronado in 1958. After 29 and a half years in the Navy, Laird switched career paths to become the co-owner of the restaurant at the Coronado Municipal Golf Course.
Even though he wasn’t flying planes on a daily basis any more, Laird never gave up his love for aviation.
Last year, Laird was inducted into Coronado’s Avenue of Heroes, which runs along Third and Fourth Streets from Orange to North Island.
Since then, he has moved to Northern California. Laird said Saturday that he was happy to fly his 100th aircraft above “the birthplace of naval aviation.”
