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| By The Aero Experience Team |
Gary
Chambers:
Gary
Chambers flew as a Weapons Systems Officer for twelve years, accumulating over
1,600 hours in the F-4C, F-4D, F4E, and RF-4C models with Kentucky, Indiana, and Alabama Air National
Guard units. He graduated from the USAF Fighter
Weapons School in April 1986, three weeks before Top Gun hit the theaters. He was trained in PAVE SPIKE laser
designation and did Follow On Test & Evaluation on the Navigation Weapons
Delivery System (NWDS) ring laser gyro inertial navigation system. Mr. Chambers is an executive board member of the
F-4 Phantom II Society and curator of the group’s photo archives.
Donald
C. Nagel:
Donald
Nagel worked at McDonnell Douglas in structural mechanical design. From
September 1968 through 1970, Mr. Nagel was a member of various engineering
groups supporting design changes and improvements to the F-4 and F-15
airframes. Studies included
cost/performance tradeoffs, composite material utilization, internal systems,
drag and wind tunnel analysis, and external mold line definition. During 1969
and 1970, Mr. Nagel participated in the TISEO (Target Identification
Electro-Optical) modification program on F-4E aircraft. TISEO was a long range camera that was
incorporated on the left inboard leading-edge flap of a F-4E aircraft to
identify friendly/unfriendly aircraft over the skies in Vietnam. He participated in the Advance Wild Weasel
modification program that added upgraded missile jamming capability to F-4C
aircraft. Mr. Nagel
designed major portions of the fatigue repair for the U.S. Government ECP that
resolved cracks in the spar fasteners on F-4E aircraft and in 1971 he began working
on the design for incorporating high speed maneuvering slats on the leading
edge of the F-4E inner and outer wing.
Bonnie
Barkey Moore:
Bonnie
Barkey Moore is the proud daughter of Nettie and Herman D. Barkey (Father of
the F4 Phantom). She retired from McDonnell Douglas in 1996 after 34 years in
Personnel/Human Resources. She is
married 30+ years to George Moore, a Navy veteran and MACAIR teammate. Her
first-hand stories added a unique perspective about growing up with Herman
Barkey and the birth and development of the F-4 Phantom II project.
LCDR
Bill Smith:
Commander
Smith began his Naval Aviation career by becoming a Flight Engineer on the PBY-5A Catalina while finishing high school. He entered the Navy
flight training program in September, 1955, receiving his wings of gold in March, 1957. He flew most of the Navy’s jet fighters: the F9F-2 Panther & F9F-8 Cougar in VT-24, FJ-4 Fury in
VF-792, F-8 Crusader in VF-124, and the F-4B/J Phantom II in VF-142. Bill
transitioned to the Phantom in 1968. The
majority of his flight hours were in the Phantom while attached to VF-121 and
VF-142 Ghostriders, NAS Miramar, California. He made the first target tow with an
F-4J and the 50,000th Phantom II carrier landing aboard the USS Constellation.
Patrick
Kesler:
Patrick
Kesler earned a BS degree in Aeronautical Engineering/Aerodynamics and a
Masters degree in Business Management. He was a Structural Test Engineer at
Cessna Aircraft, Military Division, prior to entering USAF in 1969. Mr. Kesler
began his USAF active duty as a Project Officer/Test Engineer at the Air Force
Missile Development Center, High Speed Test Track, Holloman AFB, NM, (firing
rocket sleds). He later completed Undergraduate Pilot Training and began his
flying career as a reconnaissance pilot in the RF-4C Phantom II in 1971. Mr.
Kesler served tours of duty in Tactical Air Command (TAC), Pacific Air Forces
(PACAF), US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), and Air Force Systems Command (AFSC).
He retired after 20+ years and flew as a commercial airline pilot with US
Airways, flew as a corporate pilot for Stifel Nicolaus Investments, and
currently flies the B-25J Mitchell Show Me with the Missouri Wing of the
Commemorative Air Force. Patrick Kesler's father, Peter Kesler, worked at McDonnell
Aircraft for over 30 years as a photographer, and the family was based at
Edwards AFB during F-4 flight tests from 1958 through 1959.
Colonel
Peter B. Field, USMC (Ret):
Colonel
Field is a graduate in Mathematics from The Citadel in 1962. He entered the Marine Corps and completed
flight training in 1964. He served two
tours in the A-4 Skyhawk, including shipboard cruises (300 carrier landings) and
in Viet Nam, (225 missions). He was a
flight instructor in advanced jets and went to US Navy Test Pilot School in 1971. Between assignments
at the Test Center, he flew two tours in F-4 Phantom squadrons. After 27 years of Marine Corps service he
became a Chief Research Program Engineer at McDonnell Douglas. He presently flies his
experimental Lancair 320 which he completed in 2009 and serves as an Expert
Witness consulting for legal firms.
Robert
M. (Bob) Dowgwillo:
Robert
Dowgwillo is an Aerodynamics Engineer at Boeing Research and Technology - St.
Louis. Mr. Dowgwillo lent his expertise to the discussion of the aerodynamic
quirks of the F-4 Phantom II, especially the boundary layer control system,
that made the aircraft stable on approach to landing on aircraft carriers.
Major Frederick A. Shaw, USAF:
From
August 2003 to June 2005, Major Shaw was the QF-4 and Next-Generation Full
Scale Aerial Target Program Manager at Eglin AFB, FL. He was responsible for
all aspects of restoration and production of QF-4 drones for Air Combat
Command. He was also responsible for initial program development of the
Next-Generation Full Scale Aerial Target (QF-16). He currently serves as F-15SA
New Production & Conversion Program Integrator– Defense Contract Management
Agency at Boeing St. Louis.
Following
the panel discussion, the custom 60th Anniversary cake was cut by Bonnie Barkey
Moore, and served, and the exhibits remained on display for a short time
afterward.
The Aero Experience commends the Missouri Aviation Historical Society for another great aviation anniversary program!
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