Merryl Tengesdal: Difference between revisions

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Major Merryl David was the first and is the only African American woman to fly the Air Force's Elite U-2 spy stealth plane, used for risky reconnaissance missions. Merryl David is one of only five woman and three African Americans to be accepted into the Air Force's First Squadron.

Biography

Major Merryl Tengesdal (David) grew up in the Bronx, New York. Wanting the career of an astronaut, she graduated from the University of New Haven with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. She decided not to go into the ROTC while in college, and spent three months in Officers' Candidate School after graduating and came out with a commission as an Ensign. David then graduated from the U.S. Navy's fight-aviation program in Pensacola, Florida where she began her military career by flying the SH-60B Sea Hawk Helicopter at NAS Mayport, Florida. During her time there, she deployed on two long cruises and multiple short cruises to the Middle East, South America and the Caribbean. After a three-year sea tour in helicopters, Major Tengesdal went on to become a T-34C and T-6A Instructor Pilot. After completion with T-6A Instructor Training, she became one of four Navy Instructors to train Navy and Air Force students at Joint Student Undergraduate Pilot Training (JSUPT) at Moody AFB, Georgia. Her former Navy flight instructor, Commander Ron Robinson, has said that David "was one of my best flight students and it doesn't surprise me that she's doing so well."

David says that her greatest challenge while in the Navy's fight-aviation program was,

Each phase of the program has its own challenges: running, swimming, doing my first solo in an airplane. In helicopter flying, the biggest challenge is learning how to hover--keep the craft steady in just one spot. It's the hardest thing you can do, especially when you're in the wind. But I have to say it's also the best feeling when you accomplish it.

^{[attribution needed]}

Once completed with her Navy obligation, she continued her military career by transferring over to the Air Force to fly the U-2S Dragon Lady at Beale AFB, CA. She was deployed to multiple locations in support of Operations Olive Harvest, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and Horn of Africa. While stationed at Beale AFB, she held the highly esteemed positions of 9RW Chief of Flight Safety and 9th Physiological Support Squadron Director of Operations. She is a senior pilot with more than 3,200 flight hours and over 330 combat hours. She was selected for promotion in January 2008 to Lieutenant Colonel.

Major Merryl Tengesdal is currently the commander of Det 2 WR/ALC at Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, where she is in charge of flight test and Program Depot Maintenance for the U-2S. She has government oversight for approximately 300 military, civil service and contractor personnel and is also the designated Service Government Flight Representative (GFR) for Site 2.

Education

1994 Bachelor of Science Electrical Engineering, University of New Haven, CT
2005 Air Command and Staff College, Non-Resident Program, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2008 Masters of Aeronautical Science, Embry Riddle University, Florida

Assignments

June 1994 – September 1994, Officer Candidate School, NAS Pensacola, FL
September 1994 – March 1995, Aviation Pre-Flight Indoctrination, NAS Pensacola, FL
March 1995 – September 1995, Undergraduate Pilot Training, NS Corpus Christi, TX
September 1995 – August 1996, Helicopter Flight Training, NAS Pensacola, FL
September 1996 – September 1997, SH-60B Fleet Replacement Squadron, NAS Mayport, FL
September 1997 – June 2000, SH-60B Pilot, NAS Mayport, FL
June 2000 – December 2000, T-34A Pilot Instructor Training, NS Corpus Christi, TX
December 2000 – October 2001, T-6A Pilot Instructor Training, Randolph AFB, TX
October 2001 – March 2004, T-6A Instructor, Moody AFB, GA
March 2004 – April 2005, U-2 Student Pilot, Beale AFB,CA
April 2005 – June 2006, U-2 Instructor Pilot/Sq Chief of Safety, Beale AFB, CA
June 2006 – July 2007, U-2 Instructor Pilot/ Wing Chief of Flt Safety, Beale AFB, CA
July 2007 – November 2008, U-2 /T38-A Instructor Pilot/9 PSPTS Director of Operations, Beale AFB, CA
November 2008 – present, Commander Det 2/WR-ALC Plant 42, Palmdale, CA

Flight rating

Rating: Senior Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 3,200 with over 330 combat hours
Aircraft Flown: T-34C, TH-57 B/C, SH-60B, T-6A, T-38A/B/C, U-2S

Awards and decorations

ACC Aerospace Physiologist of the Year 2008
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Navy Achievement Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon

Effective dates of promotion

Ensign: 9 September 1994
Lieutenant Junior Grade: 9 September 1996
Lieutenant: 9 October 1998
Major: 5 April 2004
Lieutenant Colonel: 1 Feb 2010

References

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-{{Orphan|date=February 2009}}
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 '''Major Merryl David''' was the first and is the only [[African American]] woman to fly the Air Force's Elite [[Lockheed U-2|U-2]] spy stealth plane, used for risky reconnaissance missions.  Merryl David is one of only five woman and three African Americans to be accepted into the Air Force's First Squadron.