Legendary U-2 pilot and father of IDF has passed away

Legendary U-2 pilot Hua Hsichan and father of the AIDC IDF fighter has passed away this morning in Taichung, Taiwan.

Photo: 軍聞社

Hua was making his seventh solo flight on the U-2 in Aug. 3, 1959, when his engine failed in mid-air. He descended from 70,000 ft and attempts to return the U-2’s engine failed.

Gliding over the Rocky Mountains, Hua spotted the runway at Cortez city. It was still lit in the middle of the night. With no one to guide him on the ground, Hua managed to make a belly landing – the undercarriage is disabled when the engine flame out.

For the feat, Hua was later awarded the U.S. Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross.