First African American Blue Angel

[BLA82]

 

• Donnie L. Cochran was born July 6, 1954, on a farm near Pelham Georgia, into a family consisting of his mother and father and 11 brothers and sisters. His inspiration for flying was sparked by occasional glimpses of Navy jet fighters on various aerobatics maneuvers. Pelham Georgia is located in southwest Georgia which is located at the intersection of highways 65, 93 and 262 about 100 miles south of Albany Georgia. This writer is unsure of the base station of these Navy jets, but they were probably out of the Naval Air Station of Pensacola Florida. Cochran earned a Civil Engineering degree on a Naval ROTC scholarship at Savannah State college in 1976 . He earned his Navy wings in 1978 after completing basic and advanced Jet training. In aviation language "earning your wings" actually means that an individual has completed flight school and is now recognized as a pilot (that is, what is frequently termed a Naval aviator) capable of flying various types of aircraft (Airplanes). In 1986, Lieutenant Commander Cochran had flown more than 2,000 hours in jet fighters and completed 469 carrier landings.Cochran answered the call of duty two times as a member of the Blue Angels precision flying team, both times following unfortunate incidents involving other aviators. On July 13, 1985, during an air show at Niagara Falls International Airport, two A-4 Sky Hawk jet aircraft collided. One pilot was killed, Navy Lieutenant Commander Mike Gershon, of Pensacola Florida and the other, Lieutenant Andy Caputi, 30, ejected from his plane and landed safely on the grounds of the Niagara Falls air Force Base. Lieutenant Commander Cochran, along with two other pilots, were selected to replace these two members of the Blue Angels precision flying team.In this capacity, on October 4, 1985, three months following the fatal crash at Niagara Falls New York, Cochran became the first African American to become a member of the Blue Angels precision flying team in the history of its 40 year existence.
   
  

 

 

 

• ---
   
  

 

 

 

• Watch Now!