Via Col. Tom Wang
One day in 1997, when my website (then called Military Aviation of ROC and hosted on my school’s server) had been up and running for about two years, I received an email from an unknown address. It turned out to be from General Hsichun Mike Hua (third from left in the photo above). He told me that he was one of the first ROCAF U-2 pilots and that I misspelled his English name on my U-2 page. I was so surprised and excited! After all, I was just Mr. Nobody but he was a distinguished pilot, a PhD in Aeronautics Engineering, a three-star general, and the former director of AIDC!
Throughout these years, we exchanged email occasionally. When I was about to publish my first book, he was kind enough to write a prologue for it. Late last year, after answering my question about when the above photo was taken (it’s 1959), he shared with me his webpages with collections of his past work. I thought many people would be very interested in knowing more about his achievement; so I asked if I could post the URLs here and his answer was OK. Below are the links to his publications and speeches and related clippings. General Hua would like to know if you have any comment. So if you do, please post here.
Speeches (You will be able to hear his voice.)
Wow! He lives right here in this area. I should look more carefully whenever I see an Asian senior citizen. 🙂
Maybe you can go to his church. I think this is the best chance to meet him.
What church might that be? I’d love to shake the man’s hand!
I don’t know. But you may want to try Methodist churches in the Gaithersburg area.
Mike, Gen Hua lives in Asbury Methodist Village, that’s as far as I could find….
This is from his own website’s clippings.
http://www.hmhfp.info/clp/VL.pdf
http://www.hmhfp.info/clp/VL2.html
http://www.hmhfp.info/clp/VL1.html
OK, it’s Building 419, Asbury Methodist Village, at Gaithersburg. Not exactly his address, but that’s as far as I got…..
Greetings: I’m now writing a historic article concerning concerning Soviet acquisition, study and reverse-engineering of U.S. aircraft. The 1959 shootdown of RoCAF RB-57D is of extreme interest; One clear photo of RB-57D in ROC insignia is all that I need with photo credit. The Russians did far more study of our aircraft that is realised here in the west. Thank you and good fortunes.
David writer for AAHS Journal
I knew General Hua as graduate student at Purdue. He is a patriot, gentleman, and scholar. He was a real role model for me as a green young pup. I have nothing but the greatest respect and admiration for him as a person, an engineer and air force officer. His contributions to Taiwan, the US, and world peace are exemplary. I am proud that Taiwan and Chinese culture can produce giants like him. His wife is the model of an Air Force wife.
Please forward this to General Hua. I would be very grateful.
victor tang PhD (MIT)
Drawing of RB-57D in ROCAF markings, with caption is availble online. Google it.