Arnold Engineering Development Center dedicated the F-15 it has on display to Maj. James Duricy, the F-15 fighter pilot killed in April 2002 when he had to eject at high speed as his fighter broke apart over the Gulf of Mexico. Philip Lorenz III reports on the dedication ceremony, attended by Duricy’s parents. Duricy was a test pilot assigned to the 40th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., flying a test for a new air-to-air missile. (Read “When Airplanes Get Old” for more on the Duricy accident.)
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall doesn’t see great value in trying to break the Sentinel ICBM program off as a separate budget item the way the Navy has with its ballistic-missile submarine program, saying such a move wouldn’t create any new money for the Air Force to spend on other…