Aviation - Since 1985 aviation has been part of my life, and I've logged over 2,500 hours in 16 different aircraft, and hold ATP (ME), Commercial (glider), and private (SEL) tickets.

I learned in a Cessna 150, and briefly had possession of a Piper PA28-140 Cherokee.  Coming out of graduate school, I joined the military and spent 10 years as the only Company Grade Ph.D. pilot in the Air Force (searching here reveals that there are now 3 as of Fall 2004).  After a year of pilot training in the Cessna T-37, and supersonic Northrop T-38, I flew the Boeing KC-135, (R model variant pictured above) on world-wide missions under the Strategic Air Command and Air Mobility Command.  While stationed at the Air Force Academy, I instructed cadets in basics of airmanship and flight skills using the TG-7A motorglider.  I flew the KC-135 E-model with the Air Force Reserves for an additional year after separating from Active Duty. I missed aviation, so I joined the Sandhill Soaring Club, flew a Bellanca Scout and Piper Pawnee tow planes, and sometimes did commercial glider hops. Now living in California, near the epicenter of aviation research and development, I'm involved with personal endeavors such as short tour classes at the National Test Pilot School, and a Seaplane rating.

Since the early '80s, I've been involved with the homebuilt Experimental class aircraft community, and have watched early individual pioneers grow an industry. I worked with Mustang Aeronautics (Midget Mustang and Mustang II) as a newsletter editor, educator, and test pilot. Between work and family commitments, I'm building my own Mustang II. The RV, Falco, and GP-4 are similar, and I'd be happy to correspond with anyone deciding between them. Then there's the amphibian interests that keep surfacing :-) Perhaps a Volmer VJ-22 could be in my future.

Summer of 2002, our family moved to the Mojave desert of southern California when I assumed duties as a Flight Test Engineer on the Airborne Laser project. This is by far the most sophisticated Directed Energy program in the world. The Airborne Laser is a 747-400 airplane with a "Megawatt class" chemical laser (specific details are classified) designed to shoot ballistic missiles out of the sky before they finish the boost phase of launch. This is almost "Star Wars 101"; who knows where this technology will be 100 years from now!

Subsequently, I was recruited to support the Air Force Flight Test Center, Electronic Warfare Directorate, to establish a Center of Excellence for testing directed energy systems. I perform analysis, architecture design, development, testing and evaluation for high energy lasers, high power microwave, and newly emerging directed energy systems. I work with customers and program engineers to refine system test and evaluation plans, and develop internal processes that will produce the intellectual and physical infrastructure to support our nation's DE programs during the next decade.

130 MB of my favorate military aviation screen savers, sorted into 6 convenient zips, are available at the Increa.com FTP site.