Air Force Capt. Taylor Bye s courage and cool in a mid-flight crisis earned her the Air Combat Command’s Airmanship Award in a May 5 ceremony at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.
By CHAD GARLAND | STARS AND STRIPES Published: November 9, 2020 An Air Force A-10 pilot has been awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for landing his jet without serious injury after the cockpit canopy blew off and the landing gear failed during a training flight. Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett presented Maj. Brett DeVries with country’s oldest decoration for military aviation. “Maj. DeVries, you certainly demonstrated heroism and extraordinary achievement in your flight,” Barrett said during a ceremony Friday at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., northeast of Detroit. During the training flight in 2017, DeVries flew for 25 minutes after a misfire in the aircraft’s 30 mm cannon caused the canopy and several panels to blow off, Barrett said on Twitter. His “deft expertise” allowed him to save the aircraft and walk away with only minor injuries, she said.