David W. Milam, 74 headed West Thursday, September 11, 2014. A former F-100 pilot and later AF Test Pilot he is survived by his wife Donna, daughter Julie (Sayer), son David Jr, granddaughter (Ceana), brother, Jack (Jodie), mother-in-law Bernadette.
The family will receive friends from 5-7 pm Monday, September 15, 2014 at Southminster Presbyterian Church, 7001 Far Hills Ave. Centerville, OH. Funeral service 11 AM Tuesday, September 16. TOBIAS FUNERAL HOME-FAR HILLS CHAPEL is in care of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Noon Optimist Club of Centerville, P.O. Box 750492, Centerville, OH 45475-0492. Online condolences may be sent to www.tobiasfuneralhome.com.
Dave spent much of his career working to improve the performance of the F-16. He was born in Tucson, Ariz., but at the age of 4, moved to Pueblo, Colo. where he graduated from Central High School. “The Air Force Academy was just getting started and they used to come down to Pueblo to play their football games in our stadium. Later he graduated from the Air Force Academy with a BS in aeronautical engineering in 1963. The Academy was only 41 miles from his home.
Dave was an Eagle Scout, won the Outstanding Student Award before training as a fighter pilot flying the F-100. His first operational Super Sabre assignment was at the RAF Wethersfield Air Base, where he and his unit were responsible for maintaining the nuclear alert at Aviano AB, Italy and Cigli AB, Turkey.
In 1968 he completed a combat tour flying the F-100 at Bien Hoa, RVN. He in arrived in Vietnam on my birthday and I left on his next birthday. In 1969, he returned to study and completed an MS degree in aeronautical engineering at the University of Arizona.
A one-year tour teaching thermodynamics and fluid dynamics at the US Military Academy at West Point in New York was followed by an assignment at the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California, where he flew 60 different types of aircraft, but spent much of his time testing the F-16 fighter. In addition to testing the planes, Dave also later served as an instructor at the test pilot school.
Later, Dave served as the deputy in the B-1B program and eventually was named Chief of Staff of Acquisitions at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. In 1990, he married his wife, Donna, a program manager at the base.
The Milam’s have two children, Julie Hangen, and David Jr. He retired from the Air Force in 1993.
Dave became the president and CEO of Wright Technology Network, a position he held until 2003. More recently, Dave worked as part time as a program manager for the Advanced Virtual Engine Test Cell in Springfield.