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You should remember Dick Rutan, the Air Force Vietnam vet who set a world record by flying around the world non-refueled and non-stop in 1985. He\u00a0 died May 3rd at the age of 85.<\/p>\n
Originally a RIO in the F-101 Voodoo, he earned his pilot’s wings in 1966.<\/p>\n
Rutan served during the Vietnam War as one of the founding members of the “Mistys” of Operation Commando Sabre,<\/sup> pioneering the use of tactical jets as a “FastFAC” (known as forward air control) for the FAC Airborne mission, which searched for and marked targets with white phosphorus rockets ahead of the strike package. He flew 325 missions but had to eject one time, when his “Hun” North American F-100 Super Sabre aircraft was hit.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
He went on to serve in a variety of roles as an F-100 pilot, A-7 pilot, and finished his career at the 355th Tactical Fighter wing at Davis-Monthan AFB from January 1977 until his retirement from the Air Force on June 1, 1978.<\/sup><\/p>\n
During his career with the Air Force, Rutan was awarded the Silver Star, five Distinguished Flying Crosses, 16 Air Medals, and a Purple Heart. He retired from the Air Force in 1978 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.Wiki<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
On to 1985:<\/p>\n
Burt Rutan was alarmed to see the plane he had designed was so loaded with fuel that the wing tips started dragging along the ground as it taxied down the runway. He grabbed the radio to warn the pilot, his older brother Dick Rutan. But Dick never heard the message.<\/p>\n
Nine days and three minutes later, Dick, along with copilot Jeana Yeager (no relation to Chuck – ed.), completed one of the greatest milestones in aviation history: the first round-the-world flight with no stops or refueling.<\/p>\n
A decorated Vietnam War pilot, Dick Rutan died Friday evening at a hospital in Coeur d\u2019Alene, Idaho, with Burt and other loved ones by his side. He was 85. His friend Bill Whittle said he died on his own terms when he decided against enduring a second night on oxygen after suffering a severe lung infection.<\/p>\n
Both Rutan brothers and Yeager were each awarded a Presidential Citizens Medal by President Ronald Reagan, who described how a local official in Thailand at first \u201crefused to believe some cockamamie story” about a plane flying around the world on a single tank of gas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had the freedom to pursue a dream, and that\u2019s important,” Dick Rutan said at the ceremony. \u201cAnd we should never forget, and those that guard our freedoms, that we should hang on to them very tenaciously and be very careful about some do-gooder that thinks that our safety is more important than our freedom. Because freedom is awful difficult to obtain, and it\u2019s even more difficult to regain it once it\u2019s lost.\u201d Military.com<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Wise words, sir. Read the article…LTC Rutan sounds like a one-off you should know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"