Behind the Wings

The First Black Astronaut Candidate - Episode 31


Listen Later

The first Black astronaut candidate talks about his experiences with the astronaut program in this in-depth conversation about his pioneering space journey.

Welcome to Season 4 of Behind the Wings, which means 10 new episodes coming your way! It’s February, and in celebration of Black History Month, we are excited to speak with the first Black astronaut candidate, Ed Dwight Jr. In 1961, just 3 years after NASA started, our guest was making waves as a test pilot in aviation and training to be one of the first astronauts. Ed talks about his incredible journey, his time in the Air Force and the space program, and how, in an instant, the dream of space flight was taken away. 

Ed’s resume reads: Air Force Test Pilot, America’s First Black Astronaut Candidate, IBM Computer Systems Engineer, Aviation Consultant, Restaurateur, Real Estate Developer, Construction Entrepreneur, and Sculpture Artist. There's a lot to learn in this episode!


Key Takeaways:

  • Ed first got into flying as a kid when pilots at the nearby airport in Kansas paid him to help clean their aircraft.
  • Dwight signed up for the Air Force after seeing a newspaper featuring a Black fighter pilot on the cover.
  • To earn Black voter's trust, Kennedy promised to get a Black candidate into the astronaut program.
  • After quickly rising through the ranks in the Air Force, Dwight was the only Black pilot to meet the strict requirements to become an astronaut.
  • Ed trained with 16 others in the astronaut program headed by Chuck Yeager.
  • After Kennedy's assassination, it was clear that Ed was being ousted from his astronaut training. He resigned from the Air Force shortly after.
  • His time in the Air Force didn't discourage him. He went on to become a very successful sculpture artist, creating memorials and art representing the accomplishments and history of Black people in America.

Resources:

  • Ed Dwight’s Website 
  • Ed Dwight’s Wiki 
  • The Almost Moon Man – New York Times 
  • I Was Poised to be the First Black Astronaut. I Never Made it to Space. | 'Almost Famous' by Op-Docs – New York Times 
  • Ed Dwight Jr. Was Set to Become America’s First Black Astronaut - YouTube 
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Behind the WingsBy Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum™

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

26 ratings


More shows like Behind the Wings

View all
Airplane Geeks Podcast by Airplane Geeks

Airplane Geeks Podcast

400 Listeners

Airline Pilot Guy - Aviation Podcast by Capt Jeff

Airline Pilot Guy - Aviation Podcast

646 Listeners

Aviation Week's Check 6 Podcast by Aviation Week Network

Aviation Week's Check 6 Podcast

395 Listeners

Hangar Talk - An Aviation News Podcast by AOPA

Hangar Talk - An Aviation News Podcast

114 Listeners

Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News by Max Trescott | Aviation News Talk Network

Aviation News Talk – Pilot Stories, Safety Tips & General Aviation News

778 Listeners

Fighter Pilot Podcast by E. Vincent "Jell-O" Aiello, Retired U.S. Navy Fighter Pilot

Fighter Pilot Podcast

1,867 Listeners

Opposing Bases: Air Traffic Talk by Air Traffic Talk

Opposing Bases: Air Traffic Talk

935 Listeners

Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories by Evergreen Podcasts | The Honor Project

Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories

663 Listeners

Cold War Conversations Podcast by Ian Sanders

Cold War Conversations Podcast

462 Listeners

21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast by 21Five Podcast

21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast

343 Listeners

The Afterburn Podcast by John "Rain" Waters

The Afterburn Podcast

928 Listeners

10 Percent True - Tales from the Cockpit by Steve Davies

10 Percent True - Tales from the Cockpit

172 Listeners

Ask the A&Ps by AOPA

Ask the A&Ps

286 Listeners

I Learned About Flying From That by Flying Magazine

I Learned About Flying From That

214 Listeners

Pilot's Discretion from Sporty's by Sporty's Pilot Shop

Pilot's Discretion from Sporty's

161 Listeners