posted 07-03-2008 11:12 AM               

Prosecutors yesterday filed capital murder charges against Park's ex-husband and his alleged accomplice. Park and her children had been living with Ciganek and his wife, Jocelyn, after the breakup of her marriage.

Ciganek was 60. His wife was away from the house and not injured during the attack.

Dryden's SR-71 simulator was transferred to the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, Texas in 2007. Chris Woodul, the museum's curator, shared his recollections of working with Ciganek in an e-mail to museum colleagues upon learning of his untimely passing.

I had the great privilege to work with Joe Ciganek with regards to his labor of love, the SR-71 Simulator. The news of his untimely passing came as a great shock and all of us here at the museum send our condolences. As I take the care and upkeep of the one and only Blackbird Link Simulator very seriously, I want you to know that Joe's work and care will be carried on. We all understand what an important piece of history this is, and just how much it means to the folks who were lucky enough to be associated with it in the USAF and NASA. Because of Joe's hard work and dedication it sits proudly where the general public can see it and with special permission actually tour the inside of it. Someday it will "fly" again, and I know Joe knew that we could do it.

...after much work and many discussions with Joe, the Simulator arrived in Dallas on a large flatbed truck. From the moment it arrived you could see just how much extra care and attention he put into packing it and preparing it for shipment. Every wire was combed and placed perfectly on a special framework custom designed by Joe to insure that the connectors would not be damaged. The interior and exterior was in excellent condition, as if it was just delivered from Link. Its condition was tell-tale that someone knew every inch of it and thought of it as a living breathing entity. Joe was delightful to work with in person as well when he came to Dallas to represent NASA Dryden during its debut ceremony. We spent many hours going over it and I was privileged to glean some amazing stories of its history at NASA. In the end, the machine is a symbol of the kind of folks who were associated with the Blackbird program. Only top notch, highly talented folks designed, maintained and flew the Blackbird and every pilot that ever flew the SR-71 has spent countless hours sweating what ever problems the instructors could throw at them, and yet, every pilot and RSO loved this machine. They learned the art of being a Habu in it, and they learned how to master the difficult skills and teamwork it took to be a Blackbird crew. Ask most pilots what they think of bagging simulator time and they will tell you that they don't like it since every time they step in they are being graded and could flunk a ride. This simulator was a beloved tool to Habus who were their own instructors and they knew what an important tool it was. Many people have told me that despite its age, that this simulator flew more faithfully to the real thing in terms of feel and response than any other simulator (Pilots can be picky about these things!) The folks at NASA were fully behind keeping the simulator intact and un-demilled, and that is exactly how we wanted to display it.

Please know that we will truly miss Joe and all of his insight and passion for this machine. The personalities behind the metal and machinery are what make them so interesting and Joe Ciganek certainly was special and he will always be a part of this artifact. I am honored to have known him, and feel so very privileged to protect and preserve this amazing artifact. Joe will not be forgotten.