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I was just made aware of this Grumman connection to the Space Shuttle Columbia. This is an edited e-mail trail that I think would interest all of you. Since shuttle wings were designed & built @ Grumman, I'm sure there are some more touching connections.
Subject: FW: PROWLER GUY PILOTS SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA
To everyone,
The following are several e-mails I received at work. The last is from Willie McCool, e-mailed from the Shuttle Columbia. I worked with Willie some ten years ago when he was the Navy's Flight Test Pilot evaluating the aerodynamic changes we had designed for the Prowler aircraft to enhance it's performance and safety. I will always remember his friendly smile and warm personable nature. I remember the excitement he had in flying the plane and how he quizzed us on how we came up we the aircraft improvements. His excitement really made us feel real good about the job we did in serving the Navy operators of the aircraft. He was a true gentleman.
The next message is from John Leslie, Grumman's Chief Test Pilot. John is a retired Navy Pilot and Squardron Commander F/A-18 Hornets.
Matt
To All,
How terribly tragic it was to watch the events unfold, almost real-time, on television as the Shuttle Columbia broke up during its landing phase on Saturday, 1 February 2003. I received the attached e-mail below early last week from a friend and fellow Northrop Grumman employee at NAS Whidbey Island. It forwarded to many of us in the EA-6B community, an email from Willie McCool, aboard Columbia, from space.
I was proud to know Willie. I flew as a co-pilot/safety observer with a bright-eyed Lieutenant Willie McCool on 15 July 1993 as he flew a Navy Evaluation on EA-6B shop number MR-50 at Grumman's Calverton, NY, facility. MR-50 was the aircraft modified for the Vehicle Enhancement Program (VEP), and we flew together on Flight #108 of this experimental program. Willie spent a few days with the VEP Flight Test Team preparing for this flight, during which he earned my respect and trust. He was intelligent, curious, inquisitive, enthusiastic, respectful, and a damn fine "stick." His assessment of the VEP aircraft was accurate and honest.
Willie was only one of seven lost to the world as a result of this mishap, and the nation will grieve all. I forward this on to you all knowing you will find his words from space enlightening; still showing to me that intelligence, curiosity, inquisitiveness, enthusiasm, and respect for life that I observed nearly 10 years ago. I am sure his Columbia crewmembers were his equal in those attributes.
John,
Subject: FW: PROWLER GUY PILOTS SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA
Received this from a friend and thought you would enjoy.
Greetings everyone,
The Prowler Community has broken new ground. I just returned from Cape Canaveral where I watched Willie McCool launch in COLUMBIA on mission STS 107. Willie is the pilot for the 16 day mission. This flight is the 28th for COLUMBIA and the 113th for the Space Shuttle Program. The launch was an awesome sight and it was even more awesome knowing that one of our own is the pilot. Willie was the OPSO in VAQ 132 when he left in 1996 to join NASA and start his astronaut training.
Take care and best regards,
GNASTY
P.S. On Saturday, I received this E Mail from Willie:
Sat 1/25/2003 2:20 PM
Greetings from 150 miles above the Earth! My apologies up-front for not writing each of you personally. The tempo is very high, and what few precious free moments I do have, I try to use absorbing the overwhelming smorgasbord of new experiences. There is so much to share with you! Too much to write ... so hang tight until post-flight when I can bring photos and videos to accompany the stories. This has been an unbelievable adventure!
I hope you enjoyed watching the launch, and thanks for hanging tough through the many delays. More later when we return ...
Willie
PS - As I write, we just experienced a sunset over the Pacific, just East of Chile. I'm sitting on the flight deck in the CDR seat (front right) with a view of the Earth moving gracefully by. Sunsets and sunrises from space come every 45 minutes, and last only about 30 seconds, but the colors are stunning. In a single view I see looking out at the edge of the Earth - red at the horizon line, blending to orange, then yellow; followed by a thin white line, then light blue, gradually turning to dark blue, then various gradually darker shades of gray, then black with a million stars above.
It's breath-taking!
Mc/I + P/A
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