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.
“The F-100 was the most challenging aircraft I ever flew, very exciting. I like it the best followed closely by the A-7D.”
In 1964, Roger Drummond graduated with a BSEE degree from the University of Michigan and became an electrical engineer for Western Electric in Chicago and Columbus. In 1968, after being recruited by Colonel Merle Coons (a friend who was a WW II Ace and USAF advisor to the F-100C ANG unit at Rickenbacker AFB), he entered the Air Force at Reese AFB in Texas for UPT. His ANG unit was TDY to Korea during the Pueblo crisis and he was sent to flight school. Afterward, Roger spent five years flying the F-100C and later the F-100D with his ANG unit at Rickenbacker ANGB in Ohio.
Roger received MSEE and MBA degrees from Ohio State University in 1972 and 1973 and in 1974 reported for work at Northrop Aircraft, marketing the F-5E/F fighter aircraft to over 28 countries, and later developed the RF-5E. While there he was offered a part-time position as an F-100 training instructor at the Tucson ANG and also a FAC position flying the O-2 at Ontario California ANGB. He chose the latter and subsequently in 1978 was transferred by Northrop to WPAFB and flew the A-7D/K at Rickenbacker ANGB and subsequently at Springfield ANGB until he retired from service after 23 years in 1990.
His civilian career included working for Allied Bendix as Director of Marketing, Allied Signal Director of Marketing, Marathon Power Technologies Corporation VP of Electronics, Helidyne Director of Marketing and retired in 2000.
He continued his flying endeavors at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base Aero Club until the club’s closure in 2012. He is passionate about his family, flying, golf, and the great outdoors.
