Mr. Stoddard was born on 17 May 1921 in Louisville, OH. Although never a rated pilot, his love affair with flying began at an early age and continued for the rest of his life. His first flight was in1928 at an airshow in Canton OH, where his father paid Colonel Clarence Chamberlain $1 for “Bud” to ride in a Ford Tri-motor. Stoddard’s civilian education included a BS in Education from Manchester University at North Manchester, IN; and, later, a MS in Education Administration from Indiana University at Bloomington, IN. His first encounter with the military was in WWII when he earned a commission in the infantry through OCS at Fort Benning, GA. Mr. Stoddard’s next encounter with the military was in 1959 when he was first employed by the Tactical Air Command (TAC) as a civilian Education Specialist for tactical aircrew training at Nellis AFB, NV. There, his love affair with flying blossomed because TAC authorized and encouraged him to fly in fighters as part of his training job. He kept track of his flying time, but did not officially log it and was not paid for flying. But over his 23-year employment with TAC, he amassed an astounding 1,000-plus hours in jet fighters as a passenger! Stoddard’s first flight was in an F-100 early in his work at Nellis. After two years there, he was reassigned to Luke AFB, AZ, where he continued teaching academic instructors how to teach and evaluate students, and enjoyed flying in F-100s, F-5s and T-33s. During his time in the field at Nellis and Luke, until 1973, he flew all assigned missions of the F-100 (dive bombing, strafe, air refueling, low level nav over Nevada and Arizona, air combat maneuvers and cross-countries on graduate evaluation trips to other TAC Bases. The pilots he flew with during these years of flying as an official observer described him simply as their GIB, for Guy In Back. In the early 1970s, TAC pioneered the application the emerging Instructional System Development (ISD) discipline to aircrew training, beginning with the A-7D, and after that success, to all other TAC aircraft aircrew and maintenance training. To lend his expertise in this Major Command (MAJCOM) ISD expansion, Mr. Stoddard was promoted/reassigned in 1973 as the TAC Senior Education Specialist at TAC Headquarters, Langley AFB, VA, where he worked in the Training Development Division (DOOS) engaged in the MAJCOM management of ISD and Simulators for some 14 major weapons systems. During his time in this capacity, until his retirement in 1983, he continued, periodically, to fly as an official observer in TAC fighter aircraft, including the F-4, F-105, and finally the F-15 (just before his retirement—profile picture is of “Bud” in the back seat of his F-15 “Champagne Flight” with “his pilot” congratulating Bud on his extensive career as a non-rated, TAC aircrew training pioneer).

After retirement at Tucson, AZ, Mr. Stoddard continued to fly occasionally with retired former USAF pilot friends in their civilian airplanes. And in 2006, Bud jumped at the chance to become one of the very first Associate Members of the Super Sabre Society. He has been a frequent contributing author or commentator for the Society’s journal, “The Intake,” and, along with his wife, Pat, attends reunions whenever he can.