Back in the cockpit
KIRTLAND AFB, N.M. -- Richard Eldridge looks over the cockpit of a C-130J during a tour Oct. 24 as Maj. Tim Paschke, 415th Special Operations Squadron, explains the changes to the aircraft the new model brings. Eldridge is a retired Navy captain who was commissioned in 1943 and spent served for 33 years. He has more than 6,200 flight hours and made 732 carrier landings. He served in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam. His duties included being a flight instructor, a test pilot for the F-4 Phantom and the Naval Aviation Safety Center director for the Atlantic Fleet. After retiring from the Navy, he formed his own aviation company. (Courtesy photo)