EW #2194 After attending Fresno State University he joined the US Air Force in 1966. He graduated first in his class from ATC School and was assigned to Misawa AB, Japan. After certification in the control tower at Misawa he was temporarily assigned to the ATC facilities at Osan AB, Korea during the Pueblo Incident in 1967. He returned to the United States in 1968 and worked as a Senior Controller at George AFB, California. While at George he was credited with preventing an aircraft accident involving a C131 transport, for which he received a coveted "Save Award" in 1970.He recieved his commercial pilot's license and instrument rating in 1974.

His first FAA facility was the control tower at Concord, California, where he was assigned from November 1970 to March 1974. During that time Concord was among the top 15 busiest control towers in the United States. He was then selected to work as a RADAR controller at Davis-Monthan RAPCON (Tucson Approach Control- 1973- 1976), Arizona, where he checked out in minimum time and helped develop the Tucson Terminal RADAR Service Area (TRSA). This work resulted in an upgrade for the Tucson facility in 1976. In 1977 he was again promoted when he was selected to work at Bay Terminal RADAR Approach Control (Bay TRACON) the master radar facility for all airports in the San Francisco Bay Area. At Bay he worked as a RADAR controller, airspace and procedures specialist, and Operational Supervisor. He was directly responsible for designing the San Jose International Airport TRSA and the Loupe Standard Instrument Departure Procedure. The Radio Beacon at the Oakland International Airport was named for him in 1980.

In 1981 he was promoted to the Area Supervisor position at the control tower at Eugene, Oregon. While at Eugene he was responsible for the commissioning of a new RADAR system (TRACON facility) in 1982. He also worked as the Air Traffic Manager at Eugene and was instrumental in coordinating the construction of a new control tower and TRACON building in 1987. In 1990 he was again promoted and assigned to the FAA's Air Traffic Evaluation and Investigations Staff. In this job his office was located in Seattle, Washington, however, he was working directly for FAA Headquarters in Washington DC. His duties included conducting inflight and on-site inspections of all air traffic control facilities in 10 western states, Alaska, and the Pacific Region. He was designated a "Subject Matter Expert" and received numerous awards including a very rare Outstanding Rating in 1994. In 1998 he was temporarily assigned to work in Washington DC as an Air Traffic Safety Investigator. In 1999 he again accepted an assignment in Washington DC to serve on the FAA's Technical Evaluation Committee which helped determine the best qualified bidder for the $460 million Federal Contract Tower Program.

Prior to the terrorist attacks in 2001 EW #2194 was selected to participate in the FAA's Safe Skies for Africa Program. He led the ATC portion of an interagency task force which traveled to the Republic of Angola to assess that country's aviation capabilities. While there he was asked by US Embassy personnel to review an ATC equipment proposal that was under consideration by the Angolan government. His research and subsequent recommendations to the US Ambassador in Luanda, Angola, provided the US State Department with what was described as "valuable, expert insight". This subsequently allowed embassy personnel to determine an appropriate, non-military method for funding the proposal at a time when Angola was fighting a controversial civil war.

Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, EW #2194 was assigned to the "Situation Room" at FAA Headquarters in Washington DC. While in this position he worked directly with the Department of Defense, Secret Service, FBI, NORAD, White House, and State Department. In this position he specifically approved and disapproved the movement of foreign aircraft into and out of the United States. He also coordinated NORAD intercepts of suspect aircraft and the tracking of airspace violators.

EW #2194 retired from the FAA on March 3, 2003, after more than 36 years of federal service. He has developed a very successful international aviation consulting practice, Fly Safe Consulting, LLC, which has provided technical aviation services to Fox News New York, Air America Radio, and Airservices Australia. He also volunteers as an elementary school reading tutor and as a docent at the Oregon Air and Space Museum in Eugene Oregon.



EW #2194  accident investigation education includes the following schools:
1996 Aircraft Accident Investigator School, Oklahoma City
1997 Role of the Expert Witness in Aviation Litigation, University of Southern California.
1999 Rotorwing Accident Investigator School, Ft. Worth, Texas
2002 Human Factors in Accident Investigation, Oklahoma City