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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Carol and Amelia Cherry

Albert L. Cherry, who also goes by Al or his Navy call sign Bing, was born January 6, 1954 in Corcoran, California. From the time he was old enough to look at the sky and point to airplanes flying overhead, he knew that was what he wanted to do. Growing up, Al read books and magazines about airplanes and never passed up a chance to head to the local airport, just to "soak it in." In high school, he attended the Vo-Tech school Aero Mechanics class which started his long career in aviation. Al attended College at Oklahoma State University on an Air Force ROTC Pilot Scholarship and rose to the position of Vice Commander of the Cadet Corps. He completed requirements for his A&P license his Junior year and earned his BS Degree in Aeronautical Engineering Technology in 1976. His summers were spent working on Beech 18s for SMB Stage Lines, an air cargo operation, and the local Cessna dealership at Davis Field, Muskogee, OK.

Upon graduation, Al entered the US Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida. After commissioning as an Ensign, he was stationed at NAS Corpus Christi where he flew the T-28B/C and graduated first in his class. His next training assignment was NAS Kingsville, TX, where he trained in the T-2C Buckeye and the TA-4J Skyhawk. Al earned his wings in May of 1979. That year he also received the Britannia Award for the highest overall weapons score and performance in advanced training.

Having chosen to train in the A-7E Corsair II, Lt. (j.g.) Cherry was then sent to NAS Lemoore, CA. There he earned the top scores in Weapons Delivery for his class. After that training was completed, he was excited to remain at NAS Lemoore CA, assigned to Attack Squadron 25, VA-25, a part of Carrier Airwing II (CVW-2) on USS Ranger, CV-61. One of the most memorable times of his first cruise was when USS Ranger and the battle group were stationed off the coast of Iran on January 20, 1981, when the American Hostages were returned to the USA. Then, four days later, Al experienced a landing gear emergency that turned a routine two-hour night mission into an almost five-hour ordeal. Resolving the issue required maneuvers that had never been done in the A-7E. He was awarded a Navy Commendation Medal for his efforts. During his Naval career Al was on two cruises to the Western Pacific/Indian Ocean and amassed 258 carrier landings.

Lt. Cherry left the Navy in 1984 and pursued a civilian flying career. After a brief period flying On-Demand Charter, Al hired on with WestAir Airlines based in Fresno, CA. He flew Bandeirante's, Shorts 360's and Brasilia?€™s and attained Senior Captain status before leaving the airline. After a 2-year hiatus, he returned to flying, buying a C-150 and C-172. The planes were used for rental and flight instruction. After a few years, he was hired by a local charter service in Tulsa, OK. That job led to a corporate pilot position with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. It started with Al and a KingAir C-90B and over a span of 20 years has grown to include a Cessna C-172 Skyhawk, Citation Encore, and two pilots that have become his best friends. A favorite part of his job is that the Choctaw Nation uses their airplanes to support Veterans Airlift Command. VAC provides no-cost flights in private and corporate aircraft to Post 9-11 Wounded Veterans for compassionate purposes. Having been able to fly, defend his country, mentor young pilots, and serve Veterans, Al's early dreams of flying have been fulfilled beyond his wildest dreams. He is living the best years of his life and has no plans to retire any time soon.