Roger Tracy

Military Service:

Aviation Cadet, gunnery school (Nellis) and forward air control school (Luke)

Assigned to 6147^th Tactical Air Control Group in Korea flying the T-6 as a “Mosquito”.

Assigned to the Army Primary Flight School at Gary AFB, San Marcos, Texas as a flight instructor.  Aircraft used there were the Piper Cub and the Cessna L-19.

Went to the B-47 school at McConnell AFB in Wichita, Kansas.  SAC had “requested” Training Command to provide a bunch of instructors to transition into the B-47.  Training Command agreed with the provision that they were all sent through the Aircraft Commander training. So luckily didn’t have to do any co-pilot time. That was quite a transition from the Cub and the L-19 that I had been flying.

Assigned to Plattsburgh AFB for 5 years in the B-47.

Sent to University of Pittsburgh under the Air Force Institute of Technology program for a BS in Aeronautical Engineering. Was extended for a year to obtain a MS in Mechanical Engineering.

Assigned to the 1^st Air Commando Wing at Hurlbert AFB in the Combat Applications Group. Job there was to develop and test weapons and equipment that was applicable to the Air Commando mission.

After leaving active duty, I flew the C-124 with the Reserves out of Westover AFB, Mass.  The C-124 did a great job moving cargo, but what an ungainly airplane it was to fly.

Retired in 1972 as a Major.

Civilian Career:

After leaving the Air Force, I joined Pratt and Whitney in East Hartford, Conn. as a Flight Operations Engineer. This group was in the Customer Support Dept and our job was to provide assistance to the Flight Operations Departments of customer airlines.

Airlines that I worked with included Pan Am, American, TWA, Delta, British Airways, Air Canada and Aer Lingus.

Served as manager of the group for the last ten years of my career.

Retired in 1991.

Personal:

Graduated Wesleyan University in 1951 with a BA in Mathematics.

Married Mary Margaret Markle in Malden, Mo. in 1952. A guy named Phil Alden was best man at the wedding.

Have 2 daughters, each married – 2 grand children.

Serve on the Economic Development Commission in town, serve on a couple of committees at church, volunteer one morning each week at the information center at Bradley International Airport, serve on the board of directors of our homeowners association.

Like to play golf in spare time