Cpl. Vernon L. Burge
Cpl. Vernon L. Burge poses for an official photo, circa 1912. Burge is considered the first enlisted pilot to ever fly an aircraft. Enlisting in the Signal Corps in 1907, he was assigned to the Army’s newly created aviation section working with balloons and dirigibles. Later assigned to Lt. Frank Lahm’s aviation school, Burge volunteered to enroll in the school when Lahm had difficulty finding officers interested in pilot training, eventually becoming the first certified enlisted aviator. More than a century later, two Air Force master sergeants became the first enlisted Airmen to fly and complete their own solo flights in a DA-20 Datana, Nov. 3, 2016. The initiative to integrate enlisted Airmen into flying operations of the RQ-4 Global Hawk is part of a broader effort to meet the nation’s continual RPA demands. (Courtesy Photo)
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