oose
Active Member
Hi all,
Been away from the jackets for a while lately, but managed to pick up a couple of test pilot jackets belonging to Lt. Col Gary M. Sanders, both these jackets date from the 1970's although Lt. Col. Sanders wore them in the late 1970's early 1980's and possibly again in the 1990's when he returned to Learjet, the Learjet Flight test patch replaced the an earlier Gates Learjet patch seen on the other jacket. The jackets are made by Port Echo of Mt. Sinai NY ( who also had a NASA contract) and Parks Industries. The same type of flight jacket was worn by Neil Armstrong when setting Learjet records in 1979. Here is a bio of Lt. Col. Sanders, he had quite a career.
All the best
Stu
Lt. Col. Gary M. Sanders USAF, retired Gary Sanders, Gary graduated with a degree in engineering from the University of Texas. After working briefly in the aerospace industry, Gary joined the Air Force and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in March 1969. He completed pilot training in 1970 and saw combat service in the Republic of Viet Nam flying the F-100D Super Sabre. On his return from Southeast Asia, Gary transitioned to the A-7D Corsair II and served as an instructor pilot at Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, AZ. In 1976 he was selected to be among the early cadre of instructor pilots in the F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter at Luke AFB, AZ. Gary left active duty in 1978 to work as a production flight test pilot for Learjet in Tucson. In 1983, Gary returned to active military duty as an instructor in the AT-38B at Holloman AFB, NM. It was during this time that he met and married the love of his life, Sue. In 1989, Gary was selected to fly the ten top-secret F-117 Stealth Fighter. His final Air Force assignment was as an operations staff officer for the 602 Tactical Air Control Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB where he retired culminating 20 years of service to his country. Following his retirement, Gary returned to Bombardier Learjet as a production flight test pilot flying all models of the Learjet and Challenger 300 and 604 series aircraft. Gary attended the National Test Pilot School, was a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and was an FAA Flight Test and Flight Analysis Designated Engineering Representative.
Been away from the jackets for a while lately, but managed to pick up a couple of test pilot jackets belonging to Lt. Col Gary M. Sanders, both these jackets date from the 1970's although Lt. Col. Sanders wore them in the late 1970's early 1980's and possibly again in the 1990's when he returned to Learjet, the Learjet Flight test patch replaced the an earlier Gates Learjet patch seen on the other jacket. The jackets are made by Port Echo of Mt. Sinai NY ( who also had a NASA contract) and Parks Industries. The same type of flight jacket was worn by Neil Armstrong when setting Learjet records in 1979. Here is a bio of Lt. Col. Sanders, he had quite a career.
All the best
Stu
Lt. Col. Gary M. Sanders USAF, retired Gary Sanders, Gary graduated with a degree in engineering from the University of Texas. After working briefly in the aerospace industry, Gary joined the Air Force and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in March 1969. He completed pilot training in 1970 and saw combat service in the Republic of Viet Nam flying the F-100D Super Sabre. On his return from Southeast Asia, Gary transitioned to the A-7D Corsair II and served as an instructor pilot at Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, AZ. In 1976 he was selected to be among the early cadre of instructor pilots in the F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter at Luke AFB, AZ. Gary left active duty in 1978 to work as a production flight test pilot for Learjet in Tucson. In 1983, Gary returned to active military duty as an instructor in the AT-38B at Holloman AFB, NM. It was during this time that he met and married the love of his life, Sue. In 1989, Gary was selected to fly the ten top-secret F-117 Stealth Fighter. His final Air Force assignment was as an operations staff officer for the 602 Tactical Air Control Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB where he retired culminating 20 years of service to his country. Following his retirement, Gary returned to Bombardier Learjet as a production flight test pilot flying all models of the Learjet and Challenger 300 and 604 series aircraft. Gary attended the National Test Pilot School, was a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and was an FAA Flight Test and Flight Analysis Designated Engineering Representative.
