Mike Mangold
| Mike Mangold | |
|---|---|
Mangold receiving World Championship in Perth, 2007
|
|
| Full name | Michael Eugene Mangold |
| Born |
October 10, 1955 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | December 6, 2015 (aged 60) Apple Valley, California, U.S. |
| Nationality |
 United States
|
| Spouse | Julie Mangold |
| Racing career | |
| First race | 2004 |
| Best position | 1st (2005 & 2007) |
| Aircraft | Zivko Edge 540, Viper L-29, L-39 |
| Website | |
| mikemangold.us | |
Michael Eugene "Mike" Mangold (October 10, 1955 – December 6, 2015) was an American Boeing 767 and 757 commercial pilot for American Airlines and an aerobatics pilot. Mangold competed in the Red Bull Air Race World Series from 2004 through 2009, where he repeatedly placed first and won the World Championship in the 2005 World Series, as well as the 2007 World Series. His nickname and call sign in the military was "Mongo".
Mangold was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was the oldest of three children. He moved to California at 3 years old and then to Pennsylvania for his high school years.
Mangold began his aviation career in 1974 as a skydiver while attending the United States Air Force Academy. He went on to USAF pilot training in 1977 and learned to fly fighters, graduating from the academy the following year and eventually attending the United States Air Force Fighter Weapons School. Mangold graduated first in his class in 1983 and earned the "Outstanding Graduate" award. During his military career Mike served in the Pacific and CONUS theaters, flying nuclear, conventional, smart weapons, and air intercept missions in the F-4 Phantom, including the F-4G Wild Weasel variant. He flew Phantoms for the USAF for about 10 years. After leaving active duty in 1989, he became a commercial airline pilot for US Airways and then American Airlines, flying a variety of jetliners, including the Boeing 767.
Although Mangold was a jet pilot, he continued to enjoy skydiving. He was a member of the U.S. Parachute Team from 1981 to 1985 and won multiple national awards as a skydiver. He participated in a record-setting formation skydive in Anapa, Russia in 1996 as one of 296 parachutists.
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Wikipedia