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Today in History – April 5, 1962 – 1962 Neil Armstrong takes X-15 to 54,600m

Neil Armstrong and the X-15 by Bob van der Linden, Posted on Tue, July 23, 2019, Aeronautics Department, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum “Released from duty in mid-1952, Armstrong returned to Purdue where he earned his degree in aeronautical engineering in 1955. His love of flight and engineering drew him to the National Advisory

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McAtee, Thomas P.

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  • McAtee, Thomas P.

Thomas Pearson McAtee

Preferred Name: Tuck
Nickname/Call Sign: Tuck
Date of Birth: March 28, 1939
Highest Military Grade: 0-5 – Lieutenant Colonel
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Headed West Date: January 24, 2025
Biography
Pilot Information
Headed West
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Born in St. Louis, MO, my first memories were war stories and the rigors of rationing as we shuttled around the nation to Naval Air Stations with my father. I also spent some time living with grandparents in South Bend, IN, while my father served in the Pacific. After the war, we settled in Webster Groves, MO, where I attended Catholic Parochial schools and, ultimately, St. Louis U. High, a Jesuit high school that prepared me well for an AF career. My father was a lawyer and my mother was a school teacher who later started a business in home construction (small lady telling big guys what to do).

I started flying when I was 16 and knew immediately it would be my vocation. Flying fighters was my goal. By working weekends and saving lunch money, I was able to amass enough flying time to get my private license the day I turned 17.

I went to Notre Dame for my first year of college, having flunked the eye test in my quest to enter USAFA (I learned never to play poker ‘till 3:00 o’clock in the morning the night before an eye exam). Fortunately, I recovered the next year and entered with the Class of ‘62 (a blessing in disguise). The engineering courses I took at Notre Dame helped prepare me for advanced aeronautics courses at the Academy. My favorite was the Advanced Design course. Roger Meyers and I teamed to design an intercontinental supersonic transport – beautiful and fast but, unfortunately, we discovered it ran out of gas about halfway across the Atlantic. Last minute design mods included floats and an outboard motor.

At the Academy, I played on the soccer team and learned a great deal about leadership from our coach, Arnie Arnesen. As a highly decorated P-51 pilot in the European theater during WWII, he was a perfect role model for all of us. He increased my determination to fly fighters while giving me a love for the sport. I continued to play soccer in city leagues until I was 56 years old. For excitement off the slopes, I joined the fledgling Academy Aero Club and became its first president when our spiffy T-34s showed up. It was a great little trainer and helped to prepare me for pilot training. I will never forget a sight one night under a full moon over the Academy that was covered in a glistening carpet of snow.

Pilot training at Webb AFB was a hoot (Free at last!!). Best of all, we were one of the first classes to get our hands on the hot, new T-38. Adding insult to injury, mid-way through pilot training the AF decided T-38 training was required to fly tactical fighters, which screwed RTBs who chose T-33 training bases. This is when I learned the phrase, “I’d rather be lucky than good.” My dream to fly fighters came true when I got an F-100 as my first operational assignment. I could write a book about F-100 training. In a bachelor house with seven other RTBs, we studied, flew, and partied hard. The “Lead Sled” was challenging to fly but beautiful in the air. The missions were exciting, my classmates were extraordinary and the extra-curricular activities were outstanding —- lots of fond memories.

All this prepared me for a dream career, flying a variety of front line fighters and participating in exciting activities. I had operational/training assignments in the F-100, F-4, A-7, F-104, F-15 and F-16. With 265 combat missions, I found Vietnam to be extremely challenging but it gave me a good foundation for what followed. I found time for an MS in Aerospace Engineering from the U. of Arizona, attended the USAF Test Pilot School and Fighter Weapons School and taught at both.

At the top of the list, I was privileged to be a pilot in the F-16 test program. I am especially proud of my last assignment at Fighter Weapons School as the Deputy Commander under Rip Blaisdell. Together we restructured the school into a “University” environment which has excelled ever since. In all, I flew over 4,000 hours in the airplanes I dreamed of and worked with the most capable and noble people in the world.

After my AF retirement, I went to work for General Dynamics (later Lockheed Martin). Over 17 years, I found this second career to be challenging and rewarding. Starting as an engineering manager, I learned the ropes and soon was given greater responsibilities. Our team designed F-16 upgrades that were deployed throughout the international community. I worked with some of the finest aeronautical engineers of the time who produced amazing products. Later, I became the Program Director for the AF’s Advanced Tactical Aircraft, a stealthy replacement for the F-111, and finally was involved in international program development, working with the Air Forces of Israel, UAE, Korea and Japan.

I was lucky to meet Miss Ann Leahy, a DoD school teacher, during a deployment to Misawa AB, Japan. After 49 years of bliss with my best friend, we can brag of three wonderful children, Molly, Patrick and Cathy, and eleven wonderful grandchildren. While my career has been rewarding, my greatest fortune is my family.

Units Assigned

  • Pilot training, Webb AFB, TX
  • 1963-1964 4514th/4517th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Luke AFB, AZ
  • 1964-1966 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Cannon AFB, NV
  • 1966 90th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Bien Hoa, AB, Vietnam
  • 1967 7515th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron

Awards & Decorations

Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (2)
Air Medal
Air Medal (12)
2023 Inducted Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame

Flight Info

T-34
T-38
F-100, 1100 hours, 465 combat hours
F-4
A-7
F-104
F-15
F-16

265 Combat missions
Flight Hours: 4,000+

Wall of Honor Location: Foil: 10 Panel: 3 Column: 4 Line: 27

Military & Civilian Education

Military Education:

  • 1962 USAF Academy
  • Test Pilot School
  • Fighter Weapons School

Civilian Education:

  • St. Louis U. High School
  • Notre Dame – 1 year of college
  • 1962 BS in Engineering Sciences from the United States Air Force Academy
  • MS Aerospace Engineering, University of Arizona

Thomas “Tuck” McAtee, LtCol USAF, Ret., “Headed West” on January 24, 2025.

Thomas P. “Tuck” McAtee died peacefully on Friday, January 24th, 2025, with his family by his side. He was born on March 28, 1939, in St. Louis, Missouri to Jack and Marjorie McAtee. He was the second of four brothers (Jack, Jim, and Stephen) whose boyhood tales of growing up in St. Louis are legendary.

While attending St. Louis University High School, he earned his private pilot’s license at age 17, and his passion for flying launched him into a lifetime career in aviation. He went on to receive a BS in Engineering Sciences from the United States Air Force Academy, graduating in 1962 in the class famously (and perhaps notoriously) known as The Red Tag Bastards. He later earned an MS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Arizona and graduated from the USAF Test Pilot School and Fighter Weapons School.

He served his country in Vietnam as a decorated combat fighter pilot, receiving two Distinguished Flying Crosses and 12 Air Medals during his 265 combat missions.

After returning from Vietnam, he continued his active duty career. As a test pilot, Tuck led the AGM-65 Maverick missile test program and was the first pilot to shoot the Maverick. He was also an initial test pilot for the YF-16 and led the F-16 tropical climate tests in Panama, where he set the world record for coast-to-coast flight across America in 1 minute, 40 seconds. He also led the F-16’s first trans-oceanic crossing and European test program, and established the F-16 school at MacDill AFB. Tuck transformed the USAF Weapon School (Air Force Top Gun) from a disparate group of individual schools into a unified curriculum with integrated training.

After retiring from the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel, he went on to become Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Engineering Program Manager, leading a myriad of enhancements to the F-16, and pioneering the F-22’s vector thrust technology. He was singularly instrumental in providing F-16s to American allies including Israel, Singapore, South Korea, and The United Arab Emirates.

Tuck spent his retirement years flying in his SX300, a unique experimental airplane. He was a member of an exclusive SX pilots group, leading annual trips to Canada and Alaska well into his eighties. He could regularly be found at the Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport, working on his airplane and enjoying fellowship at Charley’s. His love for this airport and those who run it were a major source of joy for him.

His passion for aviation will span generations. In 2014 he founded the Williamsburg Aviation Scholarship Program (WASP) which provides high school students the opportunity to earn a private pilot’s license through a structured flight training program at no cost. With a graduation success rate that triples the national average and an ever-increasing class size, WASP will continue to expand America’s pilot force for years to come. His contributions to aviation were recognized in 2023 when he was inducted into the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame.

However, if you were to ask Tuck what his most significant and enduring legacy is, he would say his family. Tuck is survived by his wife and best friend of 58 years, Ann, whom he met and fell in love with while stationed at Misawa Air Force Base in Japan. He is also survived by his children, Molly Zola (Matt), Patrick McAtee (Kelly), and Cathy Coco (Martin); along with his grandchildren, Collin, Lindsay, Reid, Jack, Charlie, Peter, Libby, Cy, Tucker, Lily, and Will; who will forever treasure their time spent with ‘Big T’, and his legendary bedtime stories known as ‘Tucker Tales’.

Another integral part of Tuck’s life was his dedicated faith in Christ which was rooted in the Catholic Church. He repeatedly told others of his close relationship and trust in God during all the times he should have been killed in Vietnam. He spoke often of his love for attending Mass and the peace that it gave him. In the final moments of his life, he spoke with excitement of his next adventure in heaven in the arms of the Lord. (He also hoped that there would be a good Irish Pub).

Tuck McAtee was a humble servant to all as evidenced by his service to his family, his country, his community and above all his faith. He will be dearly missed.

Funeral Mass was held at St. Bede Catholic Church (3686 Ironbound Road) on Friday, January 31st at 3:00 pm.  Go to www.bedeva.org and select “Watch Livestream Mass”. A graveside ceremony was held at 12:30pm on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at The Air Force Academy, 3024 Parade Loop, USAF Academy, Colorado Springs, CO 80840.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Williamsburg Aviation Scholarship Program, https://www.tmcfunding.com/funds/williamsburg-aviation-scholarship-program-wasp-/12369/

McAtee_Thomas service era
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Wall of Honor Location

Pushing the Envelope DVD
Tuck McAtee, Keith Phillips, Jerry Mercer, Marty Abbott, MIke Smith, John Wilson, Jim Vitale, Jim Cianci (Actor), Zach Ruble

Buy on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Pushing-Envelope-Phillips-Mercer-Abbott/dp/B010BXORBS

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