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.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.