Last Blackcat Candidates

If you have paid attention to the history of the 35th Squadron, then you probably know that Chris I (易志強) and Mory Tsai (蔡盛雄) were the last two ROCAF pilots who completed the U-2 training in the US. But the following document indicates that three, instead of two, candidates had been recommended.

So I asked Mory Tsai, who then told me that in fact four pilots had been recommended in the beginning, the other two being Hwang (黃XX) and Yang (楊XX). (Their full names are not disclosed here to protect their privacy.) Yang failed to pass the first-stage screening, leaving only three on the recommendation list.

In the above document, Hwang is the one with the sinus problem and with 2000 hours on the F-100. Chris I was allowed thirty more days in the T-37 because he had been holding a staff position in the ROCAF CinC office. He had 3000 hours on the F-100. Mory Tsai is the most junior among the three. After their arrival in the US, they began the training course, which is similar to the following:

Per Mory Tsai, the suit fitting actually took place near Boston. He also received a welcome letter from the Commander of Edwards AFB. The letter is the same as the following except the date, the recipient, and the commander.

After the T-37 training, the selection board made the decision that Chris and Mory would continue the training, while Hwang would return to Taiwan:

During the U-2R training, Simon Chien (錢柱) was assigned as their Instructor Pilot for assistance. It is worth noting that Mory Tsai had made carrier landings with the T-2 trainer in San Diego. This was to prepare for landing the U-2 on an aircraft carrier in case of emergency during an operational mission.