Leadership Red Star Aviation is fortunate to have attracted the expertise of a large number of eminent experts in various subjects regarding the history and operation of surplus military aircraft. Our leaders range from NASA Astronauts to Amateurs, from Present USAF pilots to pilots who served in the Korean conflict on both sides. In addition to our named leaders, we also draw on the expertise of volunteers in every area of Warbird operations. If you have a question, we either have an expert as one of our advisors, or we can find a volunteer to assist you. Please feel free to contact us with your requests.   Board of Directors: Dave Sutton, President. A former Airline and Corporate Pilot with Type Ratings in 7 different transport jets, Dave is a full time Instructor Pilot and Designated Examiner on the Falcon 2000EX-EASy and 900EX-Easy and holds Designated Examiner status from both the US FAA and the European JAA in these aircraft. A Classic Jet owner/operator for over 15 years, he has worked as a Military Contract Pilot in several models of surplus tactical aircraft and is a FAA Designated Experimental Aircraft Examiner in the L-29, L-39, Fouga Magister, DeHavilland Venom and Vampire, MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-21, T-33, T-28, and P-51 as well as being rated in the CASA Saeta, Jet Provost, Hawker Hunter, and all makes and models of piston engine powered surplus aircraft. Dave is a former Contributing Editor to EAA Warbirds Magazine and is a former Vice President of the Classic Jet Aircraft Association. Dave holds an A&P license in addition to his flight credentials and is an FAA Designated Accident Prevention Counselor. He is a Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.   Fowler Cary, Vice President. Fowler is a well know Airshow performer in the Lockheed T-33 and holds a surface level FAA display waiver. He is recognized as one the foremost advocates of strong personal relationships between the Classic Jet Community and the current generation of Military Pilots and spends much of his time fostering these relationships. Fowler has served the Classic Jet community for 10 years as an outspoken leader. Fowler is a past Director of the Classic Jet Aircraft Association.   Gus Frazer, Secretary. Gus is a former Royal Air Force Engineer. After joining the RAF in 1979 he served as an engineer on the Jaguar, Hawker Hunter, Bae Hawk (both trainer and Red Arrows aircraft), Nimrod, Canberra, Harrier Gr5, and F-4 Phantom. As well as the mainstream frontline aircraft, he was fortunate to be involved in the servicing of the Battle of Britain Memorial flight (Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane). Gus is Red Star Aviations’ resident involved expert in the Yak series of trainer. He has owned Yak's continuously since 1996, and now owns and operates a Yak-52 and a Technoavia SP-91.   Honorary Board of Directors: Red Star Aviation is honored to have three men serving its Honorary Board of Directors, men who are most properly called Heroes. That term is overused these days, but the true meaning of the word Hero can be best understood in the classic description, here taken from The Greek Myths, by Kingsley Ames: "I am Pallas Athene; and I know the thoughts of all men's hearts, and discern their manhood or their baseness. And from the souls of clay I turn away, and they are blest, but not by me. They fatten at ease, like sheep in a pasture, and eat what they did not sow, like oxen in the stall. They grow and spread, like the gourd along the ground; but like the gourd they give no shade to the traveler, and when they are ripe death gathers them, and they go unloved into hell, and their name vanishes out of the land. "But to the souls of fire I give more fire, and to those who are manful I give a might more than man's. These are the heroes, the sons of the immortals." The following men are our Heroes: As long as we remember them, they are immortal. Col. Jack Broughton, USAF (ret). Jack received his pilots’ wings and a second lieutenant commission at West Point on June 5, 1945 and served in the Air Force until 1968, when he retired with the rank of Colonel. After flying 114 combat missions in Korea, he took command of the USAF Thunderbirds, and after flying on the team with the F-84, he flew the first supersonic Thunderbird aircraft, the F-100. After earning his Masters Degree in International Affairs from the National War College, with work done at George Washington University, he served as the Vice Commander of the Thailand-based 355th Tactical Fighter Wing and flew 102 missions against North Viet Nam in the F-105. A recipient of the Air Force Cross for Extraordinary Heroism, he authored the classic books “Thud Ridge”, and “Going Downtown”, mandatory reading for those interested in the air war over Viet Nam. During his career he has been qualified in the P-47, P-80, F-84, F-100, F-101, F-106, and F-105. After his retirement from the USAF he worked on various projects involving air cushioned vehicles, flew seaplanes in the Caribbean, and worked as a consultant for Rockwell International on the B-1 Bomber and Space Shuttle Orbiter projects. Jack is the quintessential American Hero, and is an honored member of the Red Star Aviation Honorary Board of Directors.   Col. John “Wingtip” Wright, USAF (ret). A retired USAF pilot, Wingtip first entered combat flying the F-84 in Korea, and logged many missions there performing ground attack in support of United Nations troops. He was a command pilot in the B-58 Hustler, and was qualified for Nuclear Weapons Delivery. After being rated as an F-105 Pilot, he was the Squadron Commander of the 357th TFS at Takhli, Thailand, and flew many missions over North Viet Nam during the conflict there. He has flown almost every aircraft that the USAF had in its inventory in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, and has been a supporter of the Classic Jet community for many years. On exchange to the US Navy, he went “Aboard the Boat” flying the F-4. He still flies the T-33 as occasion presents, is involved with various patriotic, church and veterans affairs organizations, and is an expert in the historical nature of these aircraft. Colonel Wright is a most revered figure in our organization, and we owe him a debt of honor for agreeing to serve our members.   Senior Lieutenant No Kum-Sok (Mr. Kenneth Rowe). Born in Japanese occupied Korea, Ken entered the North Korean Naval Academy in 1949. In 1950 he entered the NKAF, and after training in China on the Yak-18, Yak-11 and Yak-17 jet, he converted to the MiG-15 and at age 19 became the youngest pilot to enter air combat over Korea in 1951. After the cease-fire, he finally had the opportunity that he had dreamed about since his childhood, and flew his MiG-15 across the South Korean border to freedom on Sept 21, 1953. He completed his education in the United States, became an Aeronautical Engineer specializing in Propulsion Thermodynamics, and worked for many US companies including Dupont, Westinghouse, Boeing, General Dynamics, General Motors, Lockheed, and Grumman. He worked on the Atlas Centaur Missile, and at the Calverton Long Island Grumman facility he planned and conducted flight test programs on several US Military aircraft projects. Now retired from the faculty of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, he is an American Patriot, and strong advocate of Classic Jets. His MiG-15 is now on display at the USAF Museum at Wright Patterson AFB, and he has flown in a surplus MiG-15 as recently as 2004. Ken is a true gentleman, an honored hero of the Cold War, and a friend to all he meets. We are extremely proud to have him serving our organization.   Board of Advisors: Capt. Winston Scott, USN (ret), NASA Astronaut (former). Winston entered Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School after graduation from Florida State University in December 1972. He completed flight training in fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft and was designated a Naval Aviator in August 1974. He then served a 4-year tour of duty with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light Thirty Three (HSL-33) at the Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island, California, flying the SH-2F Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) helicopter. In 1978 Scott was selected to attend the Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California, where he earned his MS in aeronautical engineering with avionics. After completing jet training in the TA-4J Skyhawk, Scott served a tour of duty with Fighter Squadron Eighty Four (VF-84) at NAS Oceana, Virginia, flying the F-14 Tomcat. He served as a production test pilot at the Naval Aviation Depot, NAS Jacksonville, Florida, flying the F/A-18 Hornet and the A-7 Corsair aircraft. As a research and development project pilot, he flew the F-14, F/A-18 and A-7 aircraft. He was selected by NASA in March 1992, and reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. He served as a mission specialist on STS-72 in 1996 and STS-87 in 1997, and has logged a total of 24 days, 14 hours and 34 minutes in space, including 3 spacewalks totaling 19 hours and 26 minutes. STS-72 Endeavour (January 11-20, 1996) was a 9-day flight during which the crew retrieved the Space Flyer Unit satellite. The mission was accomplished in 142 orbits of the Earth, traveling 3.7 million miles, and logged him a total of 214 hours and 41 seconds in space, including his first EVA of 6 hours and 53 minutes. STS-87 (November 19 to December 5, 1997) was the fourth U.S Microgravity Payload flight, and focused on experiments designed to study how the weightless environment of space affects various physical processes, and on observations of the Sun's outer atmospheric layers. Scott performed two spacewalks. The first, a 7 hour 43 minute EVA featured the manual capture of a Spartan satellite, in addition to testing EVA tools and procedures for future Space Station assembly. The second spacewalk lasted 5 hours and also featured space station assembly tests. The mission was accomplished in 252 Earth orbits, traveling 6.5 million miles in 376 hours and 34 minutes. Mr. Scott retired from NASA and the U.S. Navy at the end of July 1999 to accept a position at his alma mater, Florida State University, as Vice President for Student Affairs. Winston is rated in and regularly flies the L-39.   Cdr. Dave “Pappy” Culbertson, USN (ret). After graduating with Distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy with a BS in Ocean Engineering David “Pappy” Culbertson served in the U.S. Navy for over 20 years as an operational fighter pilot, developmental and production test pilot, instructor pilot, and as an aeronautical engineering and weapons systems acquisition program manager. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and earned his MS in Aviation Systems from the University of Tennessee. He served over five years as instructor pilot and Chief Flight Instructor at the United States Naval Test Pilot School. Qualified in the F/A-18, T-2C, U-6A Beaver, and X-26A sailplane, he instructed in all fixed wing flight mechanics and airborne systems flight exercises, including stall/spin, low altitude Night Vision Goggle and soaring. After retiring as a Commander, David Culbertson joined the faculty at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL as an Assistant Professor of Aeronautical Science, teaching aeronautics, aerodynamics and aircraft performance. He is also the Director of Flight Test at Embry-Riddle’s Aeronautical Engineering Research Center. He has piloted over 55 types of aircraft including fighters, trainers, bombers, business turboprops and jets, helicopters, gliders, seaplanes, and vintage Warbirds. His FAA aviation credentials include Airline Transport Pilot Airplane Multi-Engine, Commercial Pilot- Airplane Single Engine / Glider, and Flight Instructor. He’s is an active member of Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association (AOPA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) and International Aerobatic Club (IAC). Pappy has flown the Fouga Magister, L-39, and MiG-21 as well as several other Classic Jets. He is an Associate Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.   Capt. Robert Stoney, USN (ret). A retired Naval Aviator and former Commanding Officer of the United States Naval Test Pilot School, Bob is currently serving as a Test Pilot for the FAA’s Wichita Aircraft Certification Office where he has been a project pilot for the certification of the Hawker Horizon, Cessna’s Sovereign and CJ-3, the Garmin G1000 Avionics suite and numerous other programs. Bob’s previous flight experience includes 22 years as a Naval Aviator and Test Pilot, including tours as the Chief Flight Instructor and Commanding Officer of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, where he was qualified to instruct in every fixed-wing aircraft from gliders, to tail-draggers, to fast jets and the P-3 Orion. Bob achieved a Master’s Degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in Aeronautical Engineering. He has accumulated 6500 flight hours in over 150 different models and holds FAA Airline Transport (with 7 type ratings), glider and seaplane ratings. Bob’s personal interests include sailing, soaring, and coaching. Bob has flown the Fouga Magister, L-39, and several other Classic Jets. He is a Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.   Major Nils Larson, USAF. Nils is a graduate of the USAF Test Pilots School and is a former exchange instructor to the USN Test Pilots School. He was formerly a U-2 operational squadron pilot, and now serves as a Test Pilot on the U-2 program. He flies everything between gliders and fighters and has flown Classic Jets to include the Fouga Magister, L-39, MiG-15, and CASA Saeta. Nils is a Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and serves on their membership committee.   Major John Huggins, USAF. Holding a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters of Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, John “Huggy” Huggins is a serving USAF pilot presently flying the U-2 “Dragon Lady” operationally from an overseas location. He has 2800 hours in the T-38 as an Instructor and Pilot, and is currently the high-time USAF active duty T-38 pilot. He has 1800 hours in the U-2. , As a U-2 pilot, he was a U-2 mission pilot and instructor/demo pilot at RAF Alconbury, UK, in Desert Shield/Storm he flew the opening U-2 combat mission on Day 1, and was the first pilot to fly a U-2 mission over Bosnia-Herzegovia. He was the Commander of a U-2 squadron located in Saudi Arabia during combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Flew 11+ hour combat mission in support of ground troops at commencement of hostilities. Huggy holds FAA Experimental Aircraft authorizations in the T-38, F-5, and T-33 and has flown the T-37 and other USAF aircraft. He has been involved with Classic Jets since 1995 and holds FAA Authorized Instructor ratings in the T-38 and F-5, and is an ATP AMEL, Comm ASEL, and Advanced Ground Instructor.   Dipl.-Ing (Graduated Engineer) Bernd Rehn, Bernd is the founder and president of aero-contact, an aviation-related engineering service bureau. Bernd holds a formal degree as an Airframe and Power Plant Engineer. He has been an aviation engineer for over twenty-five years and served nearly 20 years in the East German Air Force. During his service he was the Director of Maintenance for all L-39 aircraft in the East German Air Force. During his term of overseeing L-39 maintenance, the fleet that he supervised accumulated over 96,000 flight hours. His responsibilities included inspection, maintenance, overhaul, and acquisition of L-39 aircraft and parts. His contacts include many companies throughout Eastern Europe and he has a direct relationship with the Aero Vodochody factory and with all the other Czech and Slovak aviation manufacturers and overhaul plants. After the unification of Germany he became the commander of the Fighter Training Squadron FAG-25 in the German Air Force. Bernd is Red Star Aviations leading expert in the maintenance of the L-39 and MiG-21, and is willing to provide personal advice and assistance to operators. His volunteer assistance in these areas is of inestimable importance, and he is also willing to travel worldwide in order to render hands-on technical assistance on L-39 and MiG-21.   Mr. Doug Andrews. Doug is the Chief Test Pilot for Dassault Falcon Jet and is a qualified Fouga pilot in addition to being the owner and pilot of a Pitts Special. Doug worked for many years as a Test Pilot for Beechcraft and as a contract Test Pilot before moving on to Falcon Jet. He is a FAA Designated Engineering Representative and is rated on every model of Falcon business jet as well as several other transport types. A true aviator, equally at home in a Glider, Pitts Special, Fouga, or state of the art Falcon jet, Doug has “Been there, done that, and flown it all”. Doug is a Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.   Mr. David Van Liere. Dave is former US Army Aviator and former Corporate Pilot who served in Viet Nam flying the Cobra attack helicopter. He is a well known aerobatic competitor, holds a surface level airshow display waiver, and has been operating Classic Jets for over 15 years. A FAA Designated Aircraft Examiner in the CASA Saeta, T-33, and DeHavilland Venom and Vampire, he is our eminent expert in those types. In addition, he is a licensed A&P Mechanic and is a FAST Check-Pilot. Dave is a serving member of the Board of Directors of the Classic Jet Aircraft Association.   Mr. Carl Vernon. Carl is Red Star Aviations expert in the maintenance of Classic Jets. A licensed A&P Mechanic and IA, he has expert level credentials in all aspects of Warbird maintenance, including specialized knowledge of obsolete jet engine inspection and repair. With an extremely strong background in the Fouga Magister, he is an FAA Authorized Flight Instructor in that type and has flown as a Military Contract Pilot in the MU-2 and Fouga. The veteran of many trans-Atlantic delivery flights of light aircraft, he is a multi-disciplinary aviation expert. In addition to the Fouga Magister, he is rated as a Pilot in the CASA Saeta and has maintenance experience on that aircraft as well as the L-29, L-39, and MiG-15/17 series.   Mr. Terry Fregly. Terry is a former USAF Pilot and SOF officer having served various SOF organizations during 1967-1971. These included SOF HQ, The special Operations School and as a Liaison Officer to The VNAF. He has flown various USAF and SOF aircraft including the A37, A-1 and U 10, OV10, O-1 and O-2. After resigning his commission in 1971 he completed graduate school, obtaining a MBA from The Florida State University. He has made his career in Tallahassee, Fl as a real estate Broker/developer. During this time Terry has served on numerous community boards including The Tallahassee Urban League, Tallahassee Housing Authority (Chair), and the TLH airport board, he currently serves as a Board member to The Clark Hansen Planetarium in Salt Lake City, Utah and of the Challenger Center in Tallahassee, FL. Terry's interest is driven by his past career in the USAF the interests of his son Terry, JR, Cadet 07 USAFA, and his wife Joan, both who are pilots and who fly the L39C. Terry holds a Multi/centerline thrust, IFR, commercial license and L39 Type with 500 hours in the L39.   Mr. Rob Young. Rob is a U.S. Air Force Historian for the National Air and Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. A life-long aviation buff and former Minuteman II missile combat crew commander, Rob has over 13 years experience as a professional military historian and has specialized the documentation and analysis of many foreign aircraft such as the MiG-15, MiG-21 and MiG-29. He is one of the leading experts in the United States on aircraft of Russian and ex-Soviet design and manufacture, and has shared his expertise with operators of these aircraft in many different venues.   Mr. Bill Leavens has been a friend and supporter of Red Star Aviation since our beginnings in 1990. A pilot since 1970, Bill has been closely involved with Airport Preservation politics in New Jersey for almost twenty years. He is a Founding Director of the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Coalition and was its President 1994 to 2003. He is a Trustee of the NJ Aviation Hall of Fame, was elected to the Board in 1995, and was its President 2001 - 2003. He is a Funding Director of the New Jersey Aviation Association, and a Member of the New Jersey Department of Transportation Aviation Advisory Committee. He is a Member of EAA chapter 643 and served as its Treasurer 1994 to 2000. In addition, he is a member of EAA Chapter 7. He is a Recipient of the AOPA Leonard T. Sharples Award (1996) for volunteer service to aviation. He is a Past Member of the Classic Jet Aircraft Association, having joined at the Las Vegas Convention in 1995, and has owned several Fouga Magisters as well as several Yak-52s and two Zlins. He presently flies a RV-6 that he helped build, owns a Zlin-42, and holds a part interest in a Luscombe 8E. He serves as the AOPA Regional Representative to the Northeast United States and in that capacity performs full time duties to ensure that General Aviation interests are properly represented in every forum.   Webmaster: Mr. Mark Williamson. Mark is our volunteer webmaster and computer guru. Holding a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology and a Masters in Computer Science from Virginia Commonwealth University, he currently works for a European telecommunications company. In the past he’s worked on Navy (“Deep Drone” Remotely Operated Vehicle) and Army (Standard Army Maintenance System) contracts and with private industry on a variety of projects. He is a Private pilot with most of his flight time in an open-cockpit taildragger. In addition, he has flown the T-6, T-34 and Fouga. He’s currently looking for a partner in a Yak 52 to be based near his home in Richmond, Virginia