Retired Lt. Col Jonathan Huggins, 1st Reconnaissance Squadron U-2 instructor pilot, performs a preflight inspection before takeoff. It’s been 2,133 days since he last flew the U-2 solo.
“As a civilian instructor pilot in the 1st Recon Squadron, I’m focused on working with the newest U-2 trainees, and getting them proficient at the basics of flying the U-2. I’ve missed it. The fact I’m getting to come work here again, with the people I love to work with, in a jet and a mission I love to be involved with, well, it’s just a dream come true. You realize when you’ve been gone a while just how great the people are, and how satisfying it is to be a part of an organization that gets the job done, and that it’s a job that is so critical and important to the nation.”
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