Foil: 10 Panel: F100 Super Sabre Society Column: 2 Line: 59

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

Military Aviation Biography for Thales A. Derrick

Wall of Honor Engraved Name - Thales A. Derrick; Foil -10; Panel - 1; Column -2; Line - 59

1. Attended United States Air Force Pilot Training 1956-57. Primary Flight School - Malden AFB, Missouri - flew T-34 and T-28 aircraft; Basic Flight School - Greenville AFB, Mississippi - flew T-33 aircraft.

2..Graduated from United States Air Force Pilot Training at Greenville AFB, Mississippi on August 29, 1957. Graduated Number One in his class. Commissioned as 2nd/ Lt.
3. Attended Advanced Fighter Pilot Training Phase I at Williams AFB, Arizona 1957 and flew F-86F aircraft.

4. Attended Advanced Fighter Pilot Training Phase II at Nellis AFB, Nevada 1957-58 and flew F-100A and F-100F aircraft.

5. Received first operational assignment as a fighter pilot to 506th Tactical Fighter Wing and the 470th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma 1958 and flew F-100D and F-100F aircraft. Qualified in air-to-air refueling and became fully "Combat Ready."

6. Transferred to Luke AFB, Arizona 4514th Combat Crew Training Squadron 1959 as a jet fighter instructor pilot for new air force pilots. Flew F-100C and F-100F aircraft. Promoted to 1st/Lt.

7. Transferred to RAF Lakenheath, England 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, 492nd Tactical Fighter Squadron.1961. Qualified as nuclear "bomb commander" and began participating in nuclear alert as part of the Cold War deterrent. Continued role as instructor pilot as well as performing regular pilot duties. Flew F-100D and F-100F aircraft. Promoted to Captain.

8. Reassigned to 48th TFW Wing Headquarters Tactical Evaluation Division 1963. Administered proficiency, tactical, and instrument evaluations to pilots in any of the three wing fighter squadrons. Flew F-100D and F-100F aircraft.

9. Transferred to Cannon AFB, New Mexico, 27th Tactical Fighter Wing, 481st Tactical Fighter Squadron 1964.
a. Temporary duty with 481st TFS to Misawa AB, Japan and Kunsan AB, Korea 1964. flew F-100D and F-100F aircraft.
b. Qualified in night delivery of conventional weapons in a program known as "Night Owl." Flares were used to illuminate the target, but it was not anything like daylight! Flew F-100D aircraft.
c. Participated in trans-Pacific crossing by the 481st TFS F-100s using air refueling by KC-135 tankers. Hawaii, Guam, Philippines, and Vietnam were the stopping points. June 1965.
d,. Flew F-100D and F-100F combat missions from Danang AB, and Tan Son Nhut AB, Vietnam. Flew a total of 129 combat missions.
e. Returned to Cannon AFB after Vietnam and helped establish the 27th TFW as a training wing for pilots who would be assigned to Vietnam. Flew F-100D and F-100F aircraft. 1966.
f. Assigned to the Standardization and Evaluation Division of the 27th TFW. Administered proficiency, tactical, and instrument evaluations to pilots . 1967 Promoted to Major. Flew F-100D and F-100F aircraft.

10. Transferred to the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, Kunsan, AB, Korea as Chief of Wing Standardization and Evaluation. Air National Guard Squadrons from Colorado and Kansas provided the aircraft. This was part of the USAF build-up in Korea following the USS Pueblo Incident. 1968-69. Flew F-100C and F-100F aircraft. Administered proficiency, tactical, and instrument evaluations to pilots. Started a check-out in the F-4D aircraft when the national guard squadrons redeployed to the states after resolution of the Pueblo matter. Check out was discontinued when I was reassigned.

11. Transferred to Hickam AFB, Hawaii, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) Division of Tactics, Standardization, Evaluation, Training, (DOTSET). This was an assignment for support of the forces in Vietnam and other locations in the Pacific area. Visits were made to units in the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Okinawa, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. Flew T-33 for flight proficiency. 1969-1971.

12. Transferred to Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Alabama to attend the Air Force Air Command and Staff College. This was a year long assignment and graduates were considered to have received the equivalent of a Masters Degree in International Relations and Air Force Management. 1971-72. Flew the Air Force U-3A "Blue Canoe", a four-seat version of the Cessna 310. It was a utility aircraft with twin reciprocating engines. Pilots in Command and Staff flew this aircraft to retain a degree of flight proficiency.

13. Transferred to Nellis AFB, Nevada to the USAF Tactical Fighter Weapons Center 1972. Checked out in the A-7D, the Air Force version of a Navy attack fighter. Became an Operational Test Pilot in the A-7D. (Operational test pilots are assigned to investigate problems that have arisen after the aircraft is already in production. Experimental test pilots are the ones who evaluate new airplanes before they are considered for production.) Also flew with the USAF Fighter Weapons School that trained pilots as "Weapons Officers" for fighter squadrons. Editor of the USAF "Fighter Weapons Newsletter" a secret publication that was sent quarterly to fighter units world-wide. It contained an assessment of capabilities of USAF and foreign air forces in a variety of roles. Promoted to Lt/Col. Assigned to provide a revision of the Air Force Fighter Tactics Manual. The revision took over one year and consisted of six volumes. It was adopted by USAF fighter units world-wide for training current and new pilots in fighter tactics.

14. Retired from the USAF in November of 1974.