Clifford Lee Stout began his 50 year career in aviation in 1940 at the age of 17 when he attended the Civilian Pilot Training Program at Ventura Junior College in California. At the age of 21 he was training Army Air Corp and Navy Pilots in the Civilian Pilot Training Program. During this time he flew Fleet 10s, Waco UPF7s, J3 Cubs and Meyers OTWs. In 1943 he became a Civilian Ferry Pilot. As he was assigned to ferry P30s, P39s, P63s, P47s, P38s and P51s he familiarized himself with the aircraft by reading the Operating Manual before taking off by himself to fly across the U.S. He soon joined the Army Air Corp as a Ferry Pilot and ferried P51s, P38s, P47s, P63s, P40s and P39s across the U.S. Some of these aircraft had never been flown before and some were refurbished war-weary aircraft.
As an Officer in WWII, Capt. Stout ferried aircraft throughout the South Pacific, transported troops and flew wounded on Air Evac flights. He flew C47s and C54s throughout the South Pacific and became an Aircraft Command with the Military Air Transport Service (MATS).
As a civilian Cliff Stout flew as a Contract Pilot during the Cold War and the Korean War—piloting C47s on the Berlin Airlift and C54s on the Korean Airlift. In 1955, Capt. Stout was the pilot in command on a DC-4 in a covert operation in Viet Nam for the CIA
In 1956 he joined Douglas Aircraft Company as a Production and Delivery Pilot on the DC-4. He soon became a test pilot on the DC-6 and DC-7 aircraft. In 1958, he was assigned to the jet aircraft DC-8 test program. Capt. Stout was the pilot in command for the first flight of the giant DC-8 series 63. He went on to be involved in the DC-9 test program where he helped design the cockpit and develop the All Weather System in addition to completing a significant number of the critical test flights. In 1969 Capt. Stout became Project Pilot for the DC-10. He was involved in all phases of the aircraft's development including design of the cockpit, flight tests and was even pilot in command on its maiden voyage in 1970. During his tenure at McDonnell Douglas, Capt. Stout trained airline pilots around the world on the DC-6, DC-7, DC-8, DC-9 and DC-10 and was instrumental in the international marketing of the different models. In 1970, he became Director of Flight Operations.
Throughout his career Cliff Stout has received many awards for his contributions to aviation in the 20* Century; the most notable being a Distinguished Achievement Award from the prestigious Wings Club of New York. He is also a member of the professional organizations of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Secret Order of Quiet Birdmen.