Robert Powell, the first SR-71 pilot to clock 1,000 hours of flight time in the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, passed away on August 27, 2021, at the age of 90
Robert Powell, the first SR-71 pilot to log 1,000 hours of flight time, who was a member of the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base (AFB), passed away on August 27, 2021, at the age of 90. Powell carried out missions over Korea, Vietnam, and Cuba as well.
The Appeal Democrat reported that he received 17 aviation medals in addition to three Distinguished Flying Crosses. Powell’s wife, Marlene Powell, said he remained humble and considered himself extremely fortunate to have had the chance to serve his nation and accomplish some good.
“He was proud to be a part of the history of missions in Cuba,” said Dan Powell, his son. “It was a big deal in American history.”
In 1948, Powell joined the US Air Force (USAF), and during the missile crisis, he performed more than 55 missions in Cuba. Over the course of his lifespan, he flew for more than 5,520 hours on various types of aircraft.
He was raised in Plant City, Florida, graduated from cadet school with his pilot training, and started his career as a fighter bomber.
One of the first pilots to fly the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft was Powell in 1957. He flew the plane for about 2,000 hours in total. Powell arrived at Beale AFB in 1966 where he began flying the SR-71. His favorite planes to fly were the SR-71 and U-2, according to his wife. Powell also logged 2,000 T-33 flying hours and 800 T-38 flight hours.
Bob Powell was at the center of a terrifying incident on May 30, 1972. Paul F. Crickmore and Gary Coleman were flying SR-71#978 in a front door entry as they were approaching Hanoi when the aircraft’s Stability Augmentation System (SAS) failed, posing a risk of a double-engine flameout, according to Crickmore’s account in Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond the Secret Missions (Revised Edition). As the SR-71 began porpoising, they had just entered a 30° bank at Mach 3.2 and 81,000 feet.
Powell discovered that he needed to slow down and descend to a point where the aircraft would be easier to control while he battled to grasp the destabilized flight characteristics. Coleman radioed the tanker with a postponed rendezvous time because they would be approaching at subsonic speed. Powell accomplished a ragged aerial refueling, trailed a spare tanker to Vietnam’s east coast, filled the tanks, and slogged their way back to Kadena at 0.9 Mach (logging 6.5 flying hours).
A devoted family man who enjoyed spending time with his 12 great-grandchildren and seven grandchildren, he was also a well-respected veteran. Dan Powell, one of Robert Powell’s three children, always saw him as a hero and understood how his passion for flying aircraft never faded.
“He was my hero growing up,” said Dan Powell. “I looked up to him. I remember when I went on a field trip and he was there in his uniform and everyone was like ‘woah is that your dad’ and I said yes. We took field trips to the flight line to watch them suit up.”
Dan Powell vividly remembers how his father appeared to be an astronaut in the early flight suits. Robert Powell achieved more flying time at almost three times the speed of sound than any other non-astronaut in history in addition to having the appearance of one.
He joined the Beale Aero Club and carried on flying after retiring. He would hire a plane from Beale AFB and fly it for three to four days, generally to pick up his granddaughters for a visit in Parker, Arizona, or Eureka, according to his wife.
Photo by U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin