WHAT SHE LOVED NASA PILOT KILLED IN PLANE CRASH.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. - Marta Bohn-Meyer Marta Bohn-Meyer (18 August 1957 – 18 September 2005) was an American pilot and engineer. At the time of her death, Bohn-Meyer was the chief engineer of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. , the only woman to serve as an SR-71 Blackbird “SR-71” redirects here. For other uses, see SR-71 (disambiguation). The Lockheed SR-71 was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed YF-12A and A-12 aircraft by the Lockheed Skunk Works. crew member and an accomplished aerobatics aerobatics Sport of performing maneuvers such as rolls, loops, stalls, spins, and dives with an airplane. As an organized sport, rather than as an air show attraction (“stunt flying”), aerobatics began international competition in 1960 under the auspices of the pilot, was killed Sunday when her plane crashed shortly after taking off from an Oklahoma airfield. She was 48. Bohn-Meyer, a Tehachapi resident, was killed when her Giles G-300 aircraft crashed at 11:30 a.m. during takeoff from the Clarence E. Page Airport in Yukon, Okla., near Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (1990 pop. 444,719), state capital, and seat of Oklahoma co., central Okla., on the North Canadian River; inc. 1890. The state's largest city, it is an important livestock market, a wholesale, distribution, industrial, and financial center, and a farm . Witnesses reported seeing a piece of the airplane come off right after takeoff. Bohn-Meyer, the chief engineer at NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. Dryden Flight Research Center The Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC), located inside Edwards Air Force Base, is an aeronautical research center operated by NASA. On March 26, 1976 it was named in honor of the late Hugh L. , was at the airfield practicing aerobatics for the upcoming U.S. National Championship in Denison, Texas Denison is a city in Grayson County, Texas, United States. The population was 22,773 at the 2000 census, but had increased to an estimated population of 23,957 in July 2006. . Authorities said her husband, Robert, also an accomplished aerobatics pilot, witnessed the crash. ``Marta Bohn-Meyer was an extraordinarily talented individual and a most trusted technical expert and manager at NASA Dryden,'' Dryden director Kevin Petersen said. ``She committed her life and career to aviation and the advancement of aeronautics and space in the United States. We at Dryden will miss her tremendously. All the hearts and prayers of NASA Dryden go out to her husband, Bob, and Marta's family.'' In addition to being a noted aerobatics pilot, Bohn-Meyer held the distinction of being the first female crew member to fly in the SR-71 Blackbird, and the second woman, behind former Congresswoman Beverly Byron, to ever fly in the triple-sonic aircraft. Bohn-Meyer first flew aboard the sleek, 2,200-mph airplane Oct. 3, 1991 - a flight she listed among her career highlights. ``I'm passionate about the airplane,'' Bohn-Meyer said in an interview with the Daily News shortly after that flight. ''There is black magic about this airplane.'' Bohn-Meyer said the response she received after that flight let her know that she was a role model for girls. She was a frequent participant in education programs, particularly for girls interested in entering into technical fields or becoming pilots. The Amityville, N.Y.-born Bohn-Meyer began flying at 14 after her father paid for flying lessons as a Christmas present. She flew solo for the first time at 16 and later went on to become an FAA-certified instructor. Bohn-Meyer began working at Dryden in 1979 after graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, at Troy, N.Y.; coeducational; founded and opened 1824 as Rensselaer School; chartered 1826. It was called Rensselaer Institute from 1837 to 1861. in Troy, N.Y., with a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering. During her career at Dryden, she served in a variety of posts, including director of flight operations, director of safety and mission assurance, deputy director of flight operations and deputy director of aerospace projects. Since October 2001, Bohn-Meyer had served as Dryden's chief engineer. Bohn-Meyer was also an FAA-certified airframe and power plant mechanic. Among other honors, she received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 1996, the Aerospace Educator Award from Women in Aerospace in 1998, and the Arthur C. Fleming Award in the Scientific Category in 1992. Jim Skeen, (661) 267-5743 james.skeen(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color in AV edition only) NASA's Marta Bohn-Meyer of Tehachapi, shown in 1992, was killed Sunday practicing for an air show in Oklahoma. NASA |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion