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(Online) Saturday, August 8, 2020, 10 AM ( Add to Calendar )
In-flight Refueling the SR-71 During the Cold War
by
Col. Charlie Vono (USAF-Retired)
This presentation is for any audience looking for a few good stories featuring our high tech Cold War weapon systems. As a KC-135Q aircraft commander, Charlie can relate firsthand what it meant to be a Cold Warrior, how the technology worked, and what he did when it didn’t work. These were the days when we used sextants to cross the Pacific, engines blew up routinely, and no mission went entirely as planned. With most of this highly classified mission now de-classified, Charlie can spice up this Cold War stories with facts about the technologies and mission. A real crowd-pleaser, he always finds a few audience members who supported this mission and speak up with their own stories.
Charlie, an AIAA Associate Fellow, is a retired USAF colonel and retired defense contractor senior manager. In his 45 year career, he has been an operator, e.g., KC-135 aircraft commander. He has been an engineer, e.g., F16 structures. And he has been a sustainer, e.g., ICBMs. Charlie was born and raised in Wasco, California. He has a Bachelor of Science from the USAF Academy in Astronautical Engineering, a Master of Science in Systems Management from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Utah State University. He is a graduate of Air War College. Charlie has 13 years full time active duty in Air Force and Joint assignments and 12 years part time duty in Air Force Reserve assignments. Since retiring from a major defense contractor in 2014, Charlie has been writing and presenting extensively on the sustainment of complex systems. But his most popular presentation harks back to his first USAF assignment in 1977 as a tanker pilot supporting the world-wide SR-71 mission during the Cold War. Charlie’s Dad, Mike, was a WWII B-24 ball turret gunner in Europe and his Uncle Chuck was a Navy gunner engaged in every major combat operation in the Pacific. For more information on Charlie, his other roles, his blogs about his stories (and his Dad and Uncle’s stories), his presentations and technical papers, visit charlesvono.com .
Aug 8, 2020 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

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