Jeff Gruver loved aviation from an early age. He had model airplanes hanging from his bedroom ceiling at age six and at twelve built his own hang glider. Coupling this with the fact his dad was career Air Force, Jeff naturally gravitated to the Air Force. Jeff was flying his beloved T-38 supersonic jet trainer when engine trouble caused him to make an emergency landing at Beale AFB.
USAF Veteran Jeff Gruver
While watching the U-2s there, he was immediately hooked. He applied (the U-2 and Thunderbirds are the only two Air Force programs that you can’t be transferred to, but must apply to) for this elite program and was accepted.
The U-2 is a different plane from most and thus can be difficult to fly. The program itself extracts a great deal of sacrifice from its pilots in that it is physically demanding, dangerous, and the assignments require the pilots to be away from spouses and families for long periods of time. Jeff flew reconnaissance missions (at 70,000ft) throughout the world. One interesting mission had him sitting on the tarmac in Florida. It was the first shuttle flight after the Challenger explosion, and if this shuttle blew up, he was to take off and fly back and forth through the debris cloud to take radiation readings. He said it was the one day he was glad he didn’t fly.
Jeff capped his Air Force career with a 28-year career at United Airlines, where he eventually flew every different aircraft type in their fleet.
Brad Hoopes has a passionate project of preserving the stories of our veterans. To watch Jeff’s and other veteran
stories, go to: www.youtube.com/@rememberandhonorstories.