30 November 1957 – Capt Benny Lacombe is killed when he unsuccessfully attempts to bail out of Lockheed U-2A, 56-6704, Article 371, 13 miles SE of Laughlin AFB. Ejection seats had not yet been fitted to U-2s at this point. The history of the U-2 program is fraught with fatalities and crashes. “CIA pilots Wilburn S.
Vietnam: 267 F-100D combat missions SVN…
In 2008, twenty-seven years after my last Air Force flight, I got airborne with the Ft. Meade Flying Activity and reinstated my FAA Commercial Pilot license. Since then, I have enjoyed getting airborne (solo) in their Cessna 172s over the Chesapeake Bay and Delmarva Peninsula. Not quite like slamming the Hun’s throttle outboard on T.O. roll when getting scrambled on a TIC combat mission, but rewarding nonetheless. Life is good!!
Member, Order of Daedalians.
