Tim's History
Formal Education
M.A., Public Administration, University of Northern Colorado, 1980
B.S., USAF Air Force Academy, 1964
USAF Test Pilot School, USAF Fighter Weapon School (F-15 & F-4)
Armed Forces Staff College
Air War College
Defense Systems Management Course (Program Managers)
Cornell University Executive Development Program
Air Force Summary
Retired as Colonel after 24-year career as fighter pilot, test pilot, tactician, manager and leader. Extensive experience in aircraft avionics, ECM and munitions development, integration and test. Tested and employed every munition in fighter aircraft inventory including AMRAAM, AIM-7E/F/M, Aim-9 B/E/J/L/M, Paveway I/II/III, GBU-10, GBU-15, Maverick. Served as F-15 Weapon School Commander (Nellis), Test Wing Commander (Eglin), Armament Division Vice Commander (Eglin), F-15 OT&E Pilot (Luke), ACEVAL/AIMVAL F-15 Pilot (Nellis), F-4 Weapons and Tactics officer and Combat Mission Commander (Udorn). Served as TAC/DRA, Director of Armament Requirements (Langley).Last six years in USAF were at Eglin AFB in senior management positions. Supported numerous weapon acquisition programs as tester, advisor, Tiger Team member and Source Selection team member. Have served as SSA (Source Selection Authority). Managed 5000 person Wing with $150M budget authority.
Command Pilot. 4500 hrs in F-15, F-4, F-105, F-104, F-86, T-38 and T-33 aircraft. Authored the original F-15 Tactics Manual.
The Early Days
I knew as a 9-10 year old that I wanted to join the Air Force and fly fighter jets. As the son of a Fighter Pilot and later a 4 Star General, I had grown up on numerous bases in the SE U.S. with airplanes overhead. I always assumed I'd go through Cadet Training as my Dad had done but that program was stopped about the same time as the Academy started. I had spent my first three years of High School in Goldsboro N.C. where my Dad was the first Wing Commander at Seymour Johnson AFB. He was assigned to National War College my senior year so I attended and graduated from St. John's College in Washington D.C. It was an all male military catholic high school and probably prepared me the best for the Academy experience. Our classmate, Jerry Butler , graduated with me.USAFA
The Academy experience was a mixed bag for me. After surviving Doolie Summer with Rob Tornow as a roommate, I was a 135# walkon candidate as halfback/linebacker for the football team. I made it to the last cut before they organized the team tables in the dinning hall. By that time, I was exhausted, knees were killing me and I had a zero average in Math.I was fortunate to spend all four years in 7th Sq -Second Group. The bonds we formed in that era remain today as reflected in our annual 7th Sq '64 reunions. Our Sq area was on the first floor at the East end of the dorm overlooking the parade ground. This location was crucial for ease of access to the Cadet parking lot and numerous extra curricular activities at which I excelled! Rooms adjacent to the stairwells were at a premium in those days.
One highlight of Doolie year was the chance to March in JFK's inauguration parade. It was bitter cold with snow and ice and slush. But, my family was still in D.C. so I got to spend a few days at home.
After the freshman year, it seems like an endless process to make it through academics, inspections, parades to make it to the weekend activities. One of my classmates, Claude Billings, had gone to college before USAFA and belonged to the Sigma Chi fraternity. We spent several weekends in Boulder partying with Jack Daniels and Sigma Chi and sleeping on the floor in the basement of their frat house.
It was a bumpy road to graduation. I served several Class Three punishments and literally came off the tour path to graduate with the last part of the class. I had to take and pass a turnout exam for the first semester of EE. The extra work proved beneficial when, 5 years later in Test Pilot School EE became a friend.
One of the highlights was taking the European Fieldtrip, Operation 3rd LT at Hahn AB Germany and leave in Europe the same summer. By that time my folks were stationed at Ramstein Germany My Dad had base housing bring a bunch of bunkbeds and set them up in the basement of their quarters. It became a crashpad for our classmates as they wandered around Europe that summer. Gil Acter set the record for the most steaks consumed in one meal.
Another highlight was our Junior summer when we took Pilot Indoctrination at Laredo AFB TX. In those days, there was no aviation program at USAFA except the Aero Club which was too expensive for most of us. We got to go TDY for about three weeks and attend real pilot training academics and flights in T-37s. This was a great experience and advantage when we attended pilot training a year later. It was also a motivating factor to return for our senior year and stick it out for graduation and real pilot training.
One long weekend, while in Laredo we hadn't planned much, beyond Happy Hour at the O'club, Friday night. After killing an appropriate # of brain cells Pat Durick and I and a third classmate (remains nameless in our brains) decided that we were tired of the venues in Nueva Laredo and it made sense to go pack a bag and catch the train to Monterey MX. We woke up in Monterey about 10 AM Sat morning got off the train and had a cab driver take us to the ”best” hotel in town where we crashed for a nap.
Upon arising in early afternoon, we took stock of our finances and discovered we had about $10 between us. This was in the days before credit cards were invented and we didn't have enough for our first night hotel bill or activities much less the trip back to Laredo. Resourceful Pat got on the phone to his Dad's banker and had him wire us enough money to pay for the hotel, a bullfight, and a bus ride back to Laredo. If he hadn't done that we would probably still be incarcerated in Mexico today.
Air Force
Following graduation, I married Karen Joy McClurg and we set off for Pilot Training at Craig AFB in Selma AL There we were joined by numerous classmates and friends while learning the basics of flying and parenting as my daughter Kristi was borne that year. The A & B classes were composed of about 90% classmates from USAFA so it was very competitive. Follow on assignments were doled out by order of merit upon graduation so I was very fortunate ant pleased to get an F-105 as my first aircraft assignment.We were on a fast track to Vietnam in those days and F-105 training was at Nellis AFB at Las Vegas NV. There we were joined by eight classmates: Ron Bliss, Tom Browning, Milt Rutter, Marty Neuens, Bob Abbott, Nick Lacey, Tom McNish and Al Rogers. Nick Lacey has posted a great piece about those days. Six months later in June of 1966 we all arrived at Takhli AB Thailand. There we were taken to the Wing D.O.'s conference room and Col Arron J Bowman addressed us. He stated that half of us could expect to finish 100 Missions. But not to worry because some would bail out and be sent home or become POWs. Ironically, Bliss, Browning, McNish and Neuens all bailed out in North Vietnam and spent six years as POWs.
My USAF bio and some of my career highlights are attached so I won't repeat the record here. Suffice it to say that my career in the USAF was driven by simple goals: Fly as much as possible, avoid a Pentagon Tour and take care of the folks I was fortunate to have work for me. My combat tours and credentials from the Test Pilot School and Fighter Weapons School bode well for me as the F-15 came into service. I was the 19th pilot to check out in the F-15 including all of the McDonnell Douglas and Edwards test pilots. I was selected as one of eight pilots to conduct F-15 Operational testing at Luke AFB AZ followed by ACEVAL/AIMVAL testing at Nellis. Commanding the 433rd Fighter Weapons Squadron and giving birth to the school's F-15 curriculum was very rewarding.
My final assignment was at Eglin where I progressed through several positions in the 3246th Test Wing and ultimately retired as Center Vice Commander in June of 1988. The first photo was taken at my retirement with my wife Karen, son Timothy III, Daughter Kristi and her daughter Kara. In one of life's strange twists, Karen was struck and died of an aneurysm of the brain 9 days later.
In 1996 I met and married my second wife Linda. Our wedding picture is shown below.
Post Air Force
After my USAF retirement I spent 3 years as a commercial test pilot for TRACOR Flight Systems. In 1991 a position in town became available as a marketing representative for Texas Instruments. I was selected and spent the next 7 years peddling TI's weapons programs. In 1998 Raytheon bought TI's defense business as well as Hughes' missile business. We consolidated offices and went from 9 to three and then one local rep. I was fortunate to survive until I finally retired in Dec 2007.Since then I have learned to stay busy with golf, yard work and my passion for deep sea fishing.
Linda and Tim, 1996
Picture at top of page is in 2010
USAF Retirement, June 1988
My 37' Catamaran , named The Starboard Stuff
The winning Barracuda in the Destin Fishing Rodeo
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