Charlie Duke: a famous 86th AW Airman

Members of the 86th Airlift Wing have flown many important missions. Thirty-five years ago, however, one former 86th pilot, Lt. Col. (ret.) Charles M. “Charlie” Duke, Jr., flew farther on a single mission than any wing member past or present.

Colonel Duke flew F-86 Sabres for the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing from 1959 to 1962. The wing was already operating out of Ramstein in support of the air defense of Central Europe, which was then one of the front lines of the Cold War. At the time, no one could have imagined that, just 10 years later, a flight by Colonel Duke would become a part of one of the United States’ biggest Cold War victories.

His big flight gained world attention primarily for two reasons; the craft itself and how far he flew. The vehicle was huge and unbelievably powerful. At Ramstein, for example, his single-engine F-86 produced about 5,500 pounds of thrust. But in 1972, Colonel Duke’s Casper, with its deployable Orion, was propelled by five engines that produced a combined 7.7 million pounds of thrust.

Those who fly for a living are probably thinking that it must have been an amazing experimental aircraft to deliver that much power. While numerous experiments were conducted on his flight, the craft itself was no longer considered experimental. In fact, by the time Colonel Duke flew, this was already its fifth such mission. And his flight was not any farther than the previous missions, but he did fly very far.

How far? On his single round-trip mission, Colonel Duke flew roughly 478,000 miles. No, that is not a misprint. His flight took several days (April 16 to 27) and he made a three-day stop at a place called the Descartes Highlands. There, he took a few short drives (about 16 miles total) before continuing his flight.

For those who have not figured it out yet, Casper and Orion were propelled to the Descartes Highlands by a five-engine Saturn V rocket. Lt. Col. Charles M. Duke, Jr., a former member of the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, flew the Apollo 16 mission and became the tenth man (of 12) to walk on the moon.