Stephen B. Dwelle

Preferred Name: Steve
Nickname/Call Sign: Thunderbird 5
Date of Birth: July 1, 1940
Highest Military Grade: 0-6 – Colonel
Hometown: Visalia, CA

In His Words…

“A wonderful flying career in the Air Force, by accident.  Enlisted to 0-6 in 20 years, 11 months, 11 days and out the door! What a hoot.” Steve Dwelle’s career highlights include 198 combat missions in Vietnam in the F-100 and two years with the “Thunderbirds” jet aerobatic team. In 1971 then Capt. Steve Dwelle took over as the Thunderbird’s solo pilot.”

In a European tour that same year, attendance at a one-day Paris airshow exceeded the attendance of all shows in 1967. His team performed 114 shows. Steve also served two years in the US Senate as a liaison officer and several years as commanding officer of a fighter squadron in the Air Forces TOP GUN program called Red Flag.

Upon retiring in 1984 as a Colonel, he began an active role in Flyers Energy, LLC where he serves as Co-Founder and Partner. Flyers Energy, LLC provides fueling and information management solutions to commercial, industrial, and government fleets.