Bishop (Ret )., Lt Col Rick: - Growing up in the suburbs of Miami, Florida during his care-free years of the '50s and '60s, Rick Bishop was captivated by aviation and dreamed of one day piloting an airplane to faraway destinations. Soloing at the age of 16, his passion for flight knew no bounds and during his third year of college, he enlisted in the Army Aviation program leading to 1,000 hours of helicopter combat time in Vietnam. After his early release from the Army, he joined the Air Force to fly jets which led to his selection for special duty as a U-2 pilot and culminating, 12 years later, in taking command of the only operational U-2 squadron in the U.S. He later joined American Airlines where he remained until federally mandated retirement. After 50 rewarding years of piloting civilian, military, and airline aircraft, his childhood dreams had been realized.