"23771201"^^ . . "25"^^ . . "Jerauld R. Gentry"@en . . . . . . "Aerospace Executive"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . "Cold War"@en . "Jerauld Richard \"Jerry\" Gentry (May 16, 1935 \u2013 March 3, 2003) was a United States Air Force (USAF) test pilot and Vietnam combat veteran. As chief USAF pilot of the Lifting Body Research Program, he helped validate the concept of flying a wingless vehicle back to Earth from space and landing it like an aircraft\u2014an approach used by the Space Shuttle and to a greater degree by vehicles such as the Lockheed Martin X-33 and NASA X-38. Gentry completed thirty lifting body flights including the first flight of the Martin-Marietta X-24A and the second flight of the Northrop HL-10."@en . . . . "388"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . "Jerry"@en . . . . . . . . "2003-03-03"^^ . . . . . . "Harmon Trophy"@en . "19342"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Jerry"@en . . . . "Legion of Merit"@en . . . . . . . . . "Jerauld R. Gentry"@en . . . "25"^^ . . . . . "United States of America" . . . . . "Aerospace Walk of Honor"@en . . . . . "Jerauld R. Gentry"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Distinguished Flying Cross"@en . . . . . "1957"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Vietnam Service Medal"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Jerry Gentry in front of the Northrop M2-F3 lifting body"@en . . . . . "1935-05-16"^^ . "Jerauld Richard \"Jerry\" Gentry (May 16, 1935 \u2013 March 3, 2003) was a United States Air Force (USAF) test pilot and Vietnam combat veteran. As chief USAF pilot of the Lifting Body Research Program, he helped validate the concept of flying a wingless vehicle back to Earth from space and landing it like an aircraft\u2014an approach used by the Space Shuttle and to a greater degree by vehicles such as the Lockheed Martin X-33 and NASA X-38. Gentry completed thirty lifting body flights including the first flight of the Martin-Marietta X-24A and the second flight of the Northrop HL-10."@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Air Medal"@en . . . . "388th TFW" . . . . . . . . "1985"^^ . "Iven C. Kincheloe Award"@en . . "Place of burial"@en . . . . "Octave Chanute Award"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "1957"^^ . "Vietnam Campaign Medal"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "1118849918"^^ . . . . . "Air Force Longevity Service Award"@en . . . . . . . . . . "Meritorious Service Medal"@en .