Kyle Armalin: Difference between revisions

*As a Marine aviator, Kyle flew F/A-18 combat aircraft for 18 months aboard the ''USS Emancipator'' (as a member of VMFA(AW)-387, also known as ‘the Black Sabers’). He has retained his current flight status; according to his file, he is currently qualified in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F/A-18_Hornet F/A-18 Hornet]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AV-8_Harrier_II#AV-8B_Harrier_II AV-8B Harrier II]], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EA-6B_Prowler EA-6B Prowler], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CH-53E_Super_Stallion CH-53E Super Stallion] (due to his POGO duties). During his time in POGO, Kyle trained on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sr-71 SR-71] (several were kept from retirement for special covert recon activities); during a flight to test a SR-71 variant using twin [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse_detonation_engine pulse detonation engines] for propulsion, he took the SR-71 to a height of more than 100 kilometers, and was subsequently awarded astronaut wings. (The mission was officially classified as a failed test, but because of his 'handling of the situation and ability to recover the craft under extreme circumstances that a lesser pilot could not have effectively dealt with', he was awarded the wings and the Distinguished Flying Cross.)