What is eldon joersz?

Eldon Joersz is a retired air force colonel and a former test pilot who was born on February 6, 1936, in Adams County, Nebraska. He served in the United States Air Force for 30 years and flew over 330 different types of aircraft during his career. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base and made significant contributions to the development of the F-15 and F-16 fighter jets.

Joersz is also known for being a part of the team that set the world speed record for a manned aircraft on November 15, 1976, flying the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird at a speed of 2,193 miles per hour (Mach 3.3). He was the reconnaissance systems officer on that mission, working in the backseat of the aircraft with pilot Lt. Col. Ed Yielding.

After retiring from the Air Force in 1990, Joersz worked for several companies in the aviation industry, including Boeing. He was inducted into the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame in 2003, and in 2016, he and Yielding were honored with the Colonel James Jabara Award for Airmanship, which recognizes significant contributions to the field of military aviation.