William W. Taylor
Preferred Name: Bill
Nickname/Call Sign: Chip
Date of Birth:
Highest Military Grade Held:
Hometown: Corpus Christi, TX
Biography
Bill Taylor is the former Senior Mathematician of RAND Corporation’s Project AIR FORCE Office at Langley Air Force Base. His primary responsibility was to act as liaison between RAND and the Air Combat Command. His research examined fighter unit experience and other readiness issues associated with operational unit training. Bill is the author of several books and many publications based on his research.
Before coming to Langley, Bill analyzed readiness and manpower issues as a senior mathematician in RAND’s Washington DC office. Prior to joining RAND, Bill had a career as an Air Force fighter pilot, having logged 4600 flying hours and flown 156 combat missions in Southeast Asia. He commanded fighter squadrons in Japan and the Philippines and a fighter-group equivalent in Korea.(1)
To read articles published by Dr. William W. Taylor, go to https://www.rand.org/pubs/authors/t/taylor_william_w.html
(1) Source: https://www.rand.org/natsec_area/products/afpilot.html
Units Assigned
- 1960 Entered USAF, Fighter pilot and Mathematician
- 1971 31st Tactical Fighter Wing, Tuy Hoa AB, Vietnam (F-100)
- 1970-1971 614th Tactical Fighter Squadron/35th Tactical Fighter Wing, Phan Rang AB, Vietnam (F-100)
- 1988 Retired USAF
Awards & Decorations
Flight Info
F-100
Flight Hours – 4600
156 combat missions in Southeast Asia
Military Education
- 1956-1960 USAFA
Civilian Education
- W.B. Ray High School
- 1968 MS
- 1971 PhD/Mathematics, NC State University
THE AIR FORCE PILOT SHORTAGE
The Air Force is facing a pilot shortage that is unprecedented in history. Unprecedented losses are occurring for pilots reaching the end of their initial active duty service commitment as well as for pilots who complete bonus-related obligations. Operational units are the only assignment options for newly trained pilots while they mature and develop their mission knowledge. Thus, these units require enough experienced pilots to supervise the development of the new pilots. As the proportion of experienced pilots in a unit drops, each one must fly more to provide essential supervision to an increasing number of new pilots. When the unit1s flying capacity remains fixed, new pilots must each fly less, extending the time needed to become experienced themselves. This report quantifies these experience problems and examines options that can alleviate them. The options include Total Force alternatives, such as associate programs in active units and aging active pilots in Guard and Reserve units.
FIGHTER DRAWDOWN DYNAMICS, Effects on Aircrew Inventories by William W. Taylor , James H. Bigelow , John A. Ausink
The number of fighter aircraft in the Air Force inventory is decreasing, but the demand for experienced fighter pilots is increasing. The authors use a dynamic mathematical model to show that, to keep from damaging fighter unit readiness, fighter pilot production in the active Air Force must be reduced and new approaches to developing and managing personnel with fighter pilot-like skills must be adopted.
- Biography
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Biography
Bill Taylor is the former Senior Mathematician of RAND Corporation’s Project AIR FORCE Office at Langley Air Force Base. His primary responsibility was to act as liaison between RAND and the Air Combat Command. His research examined fighter unit experience and other readiness issues associated with operational unit training. Bill is the author of several books and many publications based on his research.
Before coming to Langley, Bill analyzed readiness and manpower issues as a senior mathematician in RAND’s Washington DC office. Prior to joining RAND, Bill had a career as an Air Force fighter pilot, having logged 4600 flying hours and flown 156 combat missions in Southeast Asia. He commanded fighter squadrons in Japan and the Philippines and a fighter-group equivalent in Korea.(1)
To read articles published by Dr. William W. Taylor, go to https://www.rand.org/pubs/authors/t/taylor_william_w.html
(1) Source: https://www.rand.org/natsec_area/products/afpilot.html - Units - Education - Awards - Flight Info
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Units Assigned
- 1960 Entered USAF, Fighter pilot and Mathematician
- 1971 31st Tactical Fighter Wing, Tuy Hoa AB, Vietnam (F-100)
- 1970-1971 614th Tactical Fighter Squadron/35th Tactical Fighter Wing, Phan Rang AB, Vietnam (F-100)
- 1988 Retired USAF
Awards & Decorations
Flight Info
F-100
Flight Hours – 4600
156 combat missions in Southeast AsiaMilitary Education
- 1956-1960 USAFA
Civilian Education
- W.B. Ray High School
- 1968 MS
- 1971 PhD/Mathematics, NC State University
- Photos
-
- Books by William W. Taylor
-
THE AIR FORCE PILOT SHORTAGE
The Air Force is facing a pilot shortage that is unprecedented in history. Unprecedented losses are occurring for pilots reaching the end of their initial active duty service commitment as well as for pilots who complete bonus-related obligations. Operational units are the only assignment options for newly trained pilots while they mature and develop their mission knowledge. Thus, these units require enough experienced pilots to supervise the development of the new pilots. As the proportion of experienced pilots in a unit drops, each one must fly more to provide essential supervision to an increasing number of new pilots. When the unit1s flying capacity remains fixed, new pilots must each fly less, extending the time needed to become experienced themselves. This report quantifies these experience problems and examines options that can alleviate them. The options include Total Force alternatives, such as associate programs in active units and aging active pilots in Guard and Reserve units.
FIGHTER DRAWDOWN DYNAMICS, Effects on Aircrew Inventories by William W. Taylor , James H. Bigelow , John A. Ausink
The number of fighter aircraft in the Air Force inventory is decreasing, but the demand for experienced fighter pilots is increasing. The authors use a dynamic mathematical model to show that, to keep from damaging fighter unit readiness, fighter pilot production in the active Air Force must be reduced and new approaches to developing and managing personnel with fighter pilot-like skills must be adopted.