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)
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
