Mon, Mar 28, 2022
USAF Pilot, Flight Engineer for X-1 and Flight Test Museum Supporter Passes on 102nd Birthday
The Flight Test Museum Foundation Board of Directors and Trustees have announced some sad news to their colleagues with the passing of Brigadier General Robert "Bob" Cardenas.
Cardenas, a longtime supporter of the museum's mission and friend to the community, passed away on his 102nd birthday on March 10 just after midnight.
In an address to friends, donors, and members of the test pilot scene, the museum foundation mourned the loss of a longtime fixture of the flight testing community, a founding member hailing back to a time when the policies had to be written from scratch, when fortune was just as important as preparation. Cardenas was born in Yucatan, Mexico in 1920, later moving to San Diego, California, breaking into flight test engineering at Muroc and Edwards AFB. He worked on a series of high-profile aircraft projects, like flying the B-29 that launched Chuck Yeager in his historic flights to achieve Mach 1. His work is embedded in the very fabric of aviation forever, a part of something much larger for centuries to come.
"We have lost more than a dear friend; we have lost a true inspiration of achievement and proof of what this country stands for. We often referred to Bob not only for his achievements in aerospace as a flight test engineer and Air Force leader but also for who Bob was as a person, friend, father, husband, and inspiration for what you can accomplish if you set your mind to it."
The Flight Test Museum will hold a livestreamed memorial service on March 31st, at 1800 pacific time.
More News
Also: Vertical Flight Society, NBAA Maintenance Conference, GA Honored, AMT Scholarship For the first time, students from Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Florida, campus took t>[...]
Hazardous Weather Information Summary of significant meteorological information (SIGMET/WS), convective significant meteorological information (convective SIGMET/WST), urgent pilot>[...]
"The need for innovation at speed and scale is greater than ever. The X-62A VISTA is a crucial platform in our efforts to develop, test and integrate AI, as well as to establish AI>[...]
(FAA) Inspector Observed That Both Fuel Tanks Were Intact And That Only A Minimal Amount Of Fuel Remained In Each Analysis: According to the pilot, approximately 8 miles from the d>[...]
“Pyka’s Pelican Cargo is unlike any other UAS solution on the market for contested logistics. We assessed a number of leading capabilities and concluded that the Pelica>[...]