David McCollum's place among those named is secured by his passion for life, love of aviation and uncompromising persistence. Test Pilot, Flight Test Engineer, Project Engineer, Airline Captain are only a footnote to his legacy as one of our heroes who perform the behind the scenes work to bring people together, safely, at nearly the speed of sound.

David's natural yearning for flight was whetted through experience traveling with his father in helicopters to engineering project sites. After attending Marion Military Institute, David was a Distinguished Graduate of the US Army Flight School, graduating at the top of his class, flying UH-1's and C-47D's. Serving in Canada and Central America, Major McCollum was a mentor to other pilots, providing leadership to many and creating friendships which have endured.

David's focus was always forward; going higher, farther, faster, and with greater efficiency. This ethos was a natural fit for flight test, which he prepared for with an Engineering Science and Mechanics Degree from Georgia Tech. His contributions spanned across many disciplines including Global Positioning System navigation, structures, propulsion, cockpit displays, avionics, aircraft performance and ultimately, certification. David's work can be appreciated in the flight of aircraft including the T-45A, MD-11, C-130J, C-5M, Gulfstream 5 and 650.

Dave volunteered for the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation and was qualified to fly multiple aircraft at air shows around our Nation, including the Centennial of Flight Celebration. Any excuse was ample justification to fly a helicopter, hang glider, or personal aircraft. Due to the variety, and age of the private airplanes Dave flew, he traveled with an unsurpassed inventory of spare parts. Only Dave was observed to simultaneously carry a tire for a Twin Comanche, a Hang Glider, avionics for a Huey Cobra, an Airline Captain's Hat in a Helmet Bag, an exhaust system for a Piper Arrow, as well as hardware, bearings, aerospace miscellanea sufficient to rebuild or repair nearly anything.

Dave's real passion was flying, having the controls at hand. He realized "All the fun's up front," and willing to reinvent a successful career more than once, Dave worked his way up from the bottom, managing to enjoy the challenging journey and loss of prestige that starting over entails. Dave was quick to observe that flying young women to the beach for spring break, two AM flights in freezing weather and flying T34's on summer days with the canopies open, were just a part of the better days to come.

With a perfect safety, regulatory, and training record, and amassing over 5,000 hours of flight time with more than 1,000 hours in command of high performance jets, Dave McCollum was well seasoned to rejoin the flight test community, this time in a command seat.

David McCollum's place on the National Aviation and Space Exploration Wall of Honor is a testament to his life. Whether being the comedian who could juggle while reciting complex checklists, the last Engineer to turn out the lights at work, the Captain who's words of inspiration mentored an aspiring airline pilot or Flight Test Engineer who gave his life expanding the envelope in what is today's best performing civilian jet aircraft, Dave McCollum's remarkable gift was the brilliance he brought to the service of others.