Retired Lt. Col. Charles Dryden, 87, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, died June 24 in Atlanta. He was one of the first Tuskegee pilots to lead airmen of the all-black 99th Fighter Squadron into battle against the Germans in World War II. Later in the war, he trained Tuskegee pilots. He remained in the Air Force until 1962, seeing additional combat action in Korea, amassing 4,000 total flying hours. He then went on to work for then-Lockheed Aeronautical Systems in Marietta, Ga. (For more read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Macon Telegraph)
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.