Robert G. Ferry, 85, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who flew a record-setting nonstop solo helicopter flight from California to Florida in 1966, died Jan. 15 of natural causes at his home in Lake San Marcos, Calif. The Los Angeles Times reported Feb. 9 that Ferry, born in Minneapolis, flew 90 helicopter missions during the Korean War and then was a test pilot at Edwards AFB, Calif., from 1954 to 1960. He joined Hughes Aircraft in 1964 and worked there for 18 years as chief test pilot. In April 1966, he made his record 2,213-mile flight in a Hughes YOH-6A light observation helicopter from Culver City, Calif., to Ormond Beach, Fla., in 15 hours and eight minutes, without refueling. This record still stands, according to the Times.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.