Sad goodbye to our pilot friend, Chuck Coleman

Provided.

Chuck at First in Flight Awards Banquet.

Friends at Mojave Air & Space Port at Rutan Field were shocked and saddened on Oct. 20 to learn that their friend and fellow pilot, Chuck Coleman, was killed when his Extra 300 crashed during an aerobatic routine at the Las Cruses Air and Space Expo in New Mexico.

"Speechless" was a word heard often when people tried to express their feelings about Chuck's crash. "He was such a good and experienced pilot."

The Las Cruses Bulletin reported, "The city confirmed Coleman's death on Monday afternoon and encouraged spectators with photos and footage of the accident to share them with the National Transportation Safety Board at its website. The crash is being investigated by New Mexico State Police, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board."

I join everyone at Mojave Air & Space Port in offering Chuck's family and friends our deepest condolences and prayers for God's comfort and peace, during this most difficult and tragic time.

Chuck Coleman served on the Board of Directors at Mojave Air & Space Port at Rutan Field as Treasurer.

He was an engineer, airshow pilot, test pilot and flight instructor with over 10,000 hours total time of flying, with more than 4,100 hours in the Extra 300 series aircraft alone!

He had performed in hundreds of airshows and given 3000+ rides in aerobatic aircraft. Chuck gave instruction in unusual attitudes and International aerobatic maneuvers.

He was the recipient of two Collier Trophies – one for his involvement in the development of the C-17 Globemaster, while working at McDonnell Douglas and the second while working at Scaled Composites on SpaceShipOne.

Chuck provided aerial support and help to win the Peabody award for the documentary "Black Sky."

He was Chase Pilot for the SpaceShipOne First Flight on Dec. 17, 2003, the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers flight and during the Ansari X-Prize flights in 2004.

He flew for the movie "Top Gun - Maverick" and gave actors a taste of what fighter pilots endure when pulling G's. He was a member of the Screen Actor Guild (SAG).

Chuck supported Plane Crazy Saturday and was a speaker at several of the monthly events over the years. A favorite of many attendees was in December 2023 when he shared the experiences of training the actors for the movie "Top Gun – Maverick," starring Tom Cruise.

Memorial services at Mojave Air & Space Port at Rutan Field will be announced.

Mike Massee.

Chuck Coleman flying chase with SpaceShipOne.