The pilot who has accumulated the most hours in a U-2 reconnaissance aircraft has called it a day. Maj. Greg Nelson completed his final Dragon Lady flight last week, after accumulating more than 2,750 flying hours over nearly 16 years of flying the U-2. He flew at the U-2 base of operations, Beale AFB, Calif., and as a U-2 test pilot at Edwards AFB, Calif., He also flew the high-flying recon bird on combat missions in the war on terror. In September, two other U-2 pilots passed 2,000 hours; perhaps Nelson’s record will stand if USAF retires the U-2, of course concern over a potential intelligence gap could delay that. (USAF report by A1C Robert Biermann)
Reduced competition, over-reliance on legacy systems, and declining funding are all contributing to a “critical inflection point” in propulsion for the Pentagon and industry members—and things are headed in the wrong direction, the director of the Air Force’s propulsion directorate warned. Speaking with reporters at the Life Cycle Industry Days…