Topic: Eric Boe

Colonel Eric A. Boe, USAF (born October 1, 1964), in Miami, Florida) is an Air Force fighter pilot, test pilot and a NASA astronaut. He flew as the pilot of Space Shuttle mission STS-126 and STS-133.

Boe graduated from Henderson High School, Chamblee, Georgia in 1983. He was a cadet in the Georgia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. While a cadet, Boe earned General Carl A Spaatz Award, the highest award given to Civil Air Patrol cadets. Col Boe is still a Senior Member in the Florida Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy in 1987, and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1997. He is married to the former Kristen Newman of Thousand Oaks, California, and they have two children.

Boe was commissioned from the Air Force Academy in 1987. He completed Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, in 1988. Following transition training in the F-4 Phantom II, he was then assigned to the 3rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Clark Air Base, Philippines as a combat ready pilot in the F-4E. In 1991, he served as a T-38 instructor pilot in the 50th Flying Training Squadron, and as an AT-38B instructor pilot in the 49th Fighter Training Squadron at Columbus AFB, Mississippi. In 1994, following transition training in the F-15 Eagle at Tyndall AFB, Florida, he was assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing's 60th Fighter Squadron at Eglin AFB, Florida, serving as a flight commander in the F-15C. He flew 55 combat missions over Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch after the Gulf War. In 1997, he attended the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, California. After graduation, he was assigned as the Director of Test, Air-to-Air Missile Test Division, 46th Test Wing, Eglin AFB, Florida where he served as a test pilot flying the A/B/C/D and E models of the F-15 and the UH-1N helicopter. He has logged over 4,000 flight hours in more than 45 different aircraft.