"Thomas Austin Durham, Jr"
"Tad"
d 1997
Service
United States Air Force
Highest Rank
Major
Years of Service
20
Combat
Yes
No Videos
Biography as of Oct 25, 2013
SUMMARY Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering, demonstrating 20 years in both management & field experience. Managed in-house and contractual programs for the Aeromechanics Branch of the Air Force Weapon Laboratory; directed one of the organization's most critical technical programs. Exemplary both in the technical arena and as a leader of team-centered units. AEROSPACE ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE Engineering//Project Management United States AirForce 1963-1983 Staff Engineer - USAF Contract Management Division - Coordinated organizational engineering efforts at General Dynamics, Boeing, Fairchild & Thiokol - Ensured compliance of contractor procedures for Program Engineering & Technical Management - Created management information system utilized by senior level Air Force managernent Chief - Aeromechanics Branch - USAF Weapons (Phillips) Laboratory - Directed interdisciplinary team of 13 engineers - aerodynamics, structures, laser physics - for the USAF Airborn Laser Laboratory(All) Program - Designed & evaluated advanced airborne laser aircraft fairings: estimated & measured drag, calculated potential flow field. evaluated boundary layer & flow field turbulence - Performed subsonic & transonic wind tunnel tests at NASA Ames: wrote test plan, coordinated model fabrication & instrumentation, directed test & wrote test report - Directed B-52 wake tower test: measured velocities with hot wire anemometer, extracted & measured CO2 levels in wake, computed and verified wake structure for induced drag & thermal blooming and other aberrations of airborne laser beam - Maintained AFWL compilation of l5 years of aerodynamic data on airborne laser aircraft Project Engineer -USAF Aeronautical Systems Division, USAF Flight Dynamics Laboratory and White Sands Missile Range(WSMR) - ln-House Drag Studies: Performed drag build-up of F-l11 from subsonic CALSPAN data, tested minimized induced drag model in AFIT 5' Wind Tunnel, developed lorv speed flow visualization facility - Engineering test & analysis of future STOL & V/STOL aircraft designs: directed wind tunnel lift & drag tests, analyzed data, wrote reports, evaluated noise footprints - Hypersonic wind tunnel testing & basic research on re-entry vehicles: formulated theoretical model of rolling moment, co-wrote report - Subsonic & supersonic wind tunnel test: drag analysis of lifting re-entry vehicles, performed subsonic wind tunnel test to lncasrlre lift & drag - Flight test engineer, test planner & data analyst for drone & air-to-air systems: directed aircraft modification & instntmentation, wrote range documentation, scheduled tests, analyzed reports, repo{ed findings Additional Experience - Developed and managed construction of a nationally recognized care facility for people with AIDS; served as Executive Director of sponsoring non-profit corporation - Coordinated technical publications & conferences for SPIE: e.g. Laser Holography for transonic wind tunnel flow visualization, assisted organization of First SPIE Imaging Conference - Evaluated length & noise implications for proposed Bellingham International Airport Runway Extension, served on team which briefed concerned citizens - Chaircd Airport Advisory Committee for the Port of Bellingham: evaluated Airport master Plan Update, chaired preliminary plans for Bellingham Air Show - Owned and managed successful business, grossing $120,000 a year Education Bachelor of Science, Aeronautical Engineering Major, US Air Force Academy Master of Science, Aeronautical Engineering, Stanford University