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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Leader

Honored by:
Daniel Sarah Meredith

From well before he first entered a cockpit to today, Ted King (as he is known to his family and friends) has loved airplanes?€”as a dream, a career, an opportunity for travel, and a passion.

Growing up in Toledo, OH, his dream was inspired by his eldest brother who went to the Air Force Academy to become a pilot. Ted joined ROTC and received a full scholarship to college. After graduating and being commissioned he fulfilled his dream and became a US Air Force pilot. He got his first choice of flying assignments but was ordered back to be a T-38 instructor. After this assignment he left active duty, but he remained committed to the military and continued a distinguished career at the Mississippi Air National Guard. In the Guard he flew the C-130 and the C-141, was a Flight Examiner, flew missions in support of the overthrow of the dictator Noriega in Panama and active combat during Desert Shield/Storm logging more than 4000 hours in the C-141. Ted was lucky enough to hold a flying position throughout his military career even as he rose to be the Director of Operations for the state of MS before retiring.

When he transferred out of active duty, he continued in his love of flying as a pilot for United Airlines. There he flew DC-8s, 757/767 and 777s to locations around the globe, safely carrying hundreds of thousands of passengers during his 32-year, unblemished career. He retired as a Line Check Captain on the 777 with over 15,000 hours on that jet. He captained his final flight, a return leg from Beijing to ORD, in 2017 proudly accompanied by his family and their spouses.

For Captain King, flying is a joy unto itself but also a gateway to the world. During his time with United he visited 5 continents and learned to say "please" and "thank you" (poorly) in tens of languages. Some of his favorite cities and routes include Beijing, Frankfurt, Paris, San Paulo, and Tokyo. His career enabled not only him to travel but also his family. His children each had a passport and traveled internationally from a very young age.

Ted King's passion for aviation, and the National Air and Space Museum in particular, cannot be overstated. Every family trip to DC included at least one day at the museum (and often multiple). Though none of his children fly they have all attempted at least one simulator landing and can (mostly) explain a takeoff checklist from start to finish. Ted is also incapable of tolerating incorrect representations of flight and has been known to loudly comment "That's not how that works" or "They'd all be dead" whenever Hollywood has an action sequence involving an airplane. In truth, he is a consummate flight educator, advocate, and enthusiast, a true friend of the museum, and a beloved father.