Originally Posted by
RAFEngO74to09
In the Beale AFB article posted above the chase car driver is referred to as a Mobil Officer. Shouldn't it be Mobile Officer? Or is the petroleum product brand name actually used in U-2 community jargon?
I realize that Mobile is also a city in L.A. (Lower Alabama
).
I was somewhat surprised that Lt. Col. Eadie had been a Navy P-3 aviator before becoming an Air Force pilot flying the U-2. Such transfers are uncommon for active duty pilots in my experience.
Also, Lt. Col. (now Colonel) Merryl Tengesdal flew SH60B helos in the Navy before becoming an Air Force U-2 pilot.
This Black History Month Lockheed Martin profile says she started out in the Army, went to the Navy and then the Air Force:
And, Col T stuck to the path. She did well in math and science, majored in electrical engineering in college and entered flight training in 1995.
Then, when she graduated from Officer Candidate School, the U.S. Army’s main training academy for prospective Army Officers, she went directly into the aviation preflight pipeline for the U.S. Navy.
From the Navy, Col T entered the U-2 Program for the U.S. Air Force in 2004, becoming U-2 mission qualified in 2005, and when it comes to U-2 pilots, one of the coolest perks is the view.
Lockheed Martin Mobile · How Star Trek Led to the U-2
Anybody know the provenance of the peace symbol on 'Col T's' shoulder patch in this hi-res picture?:
http://atlantablackstar.com/wp-conte...-cy182-080.jpg