Ira Holt

Highest Military Grade held: Lt. Col., O5

Home Town: Hamilton, Montana

Education

Civilian: Aeronautical Engineer (Northrop Aero Institute 1957)
3 years as Physics major at San Diego State and UCLA 1948-1951

Military: Pilot Training class 52F Hondo, TX

Units assigned

Dates – Unit - Aircraft (if applicable):

May-July 1951 Basic Training- Lackland AFB, TX

Aug-Sept 1951 Line Flunky – Waco AFB, TX

Sept 1951-Mar 1952 Hondo AB, TX - T-6

Mar 1952-Sept 1952 Webb AFB, TX - T-28 & T-33

Sept – Dec 1952 Luke AFB, AZ - F-84G Gunnery

Jan-Aug 1953 Taegu (K2), Korea – F-84G 100 missions

Sept 1953-Sept 1955 4925 Test Group (Atomic), Kirtland AFB, NM F-84C, D, E, F, G   F-86E, F, H    T-33    F-100A    Also logged a little time in B-25, B-45, B-57

Mar 1956-May 1957 California ANG, Van Nuys, CA F-86A

May 1957-July 1958 New Mexico ANG, Kirtland AFB, NM F-80C

Aug 1958 - Aug 1964 NMANG - F-100A/F

Aug 1964 - Mar 1974 NMANG – F-100C, D, F
Including June 1968 - June 1969 at Tuy Hoa AB, RVN

Mar 1974 - Oct 1980 NMANG – A-7D

Comments

Some interesting things along the way:

Nov 8, 1952 - Involved in mid-air collision - bailed out after losing a wing.

I may have been the only 52-F Class member to get 100 missions in Korea
June 1953 - I flew 5 missions on 15th, 4 on 16th, and 1 early on 17th - then weather.

In 1955 - Dead sticked an F-84F after losing all oil!

In 1955 - Took off in an F-84F with a Mk7 shape, a 450 gal tank,
two 230 gal tanks, and JATO - computed takeoff roll was over 10,000 ft.

In 1959 - landed F-100A gear up - short between throttle and stick.

In 1960’s - landed F-100C with nose wheel up and locked.

In my civilian life, I was a parachute design engineer, worked on nuclear weapons chutes and on the recovery system of the Space Shuttle Boosters.

Being a fighter pilot is one of the best things I ever did in my life.