NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

William Frederick Brockett

Bill Brockett is a research pilot at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. He is chief pilot for NASA's DC-8 Flying Laboratory, currently operated by the University of North Dakota under an agreement with the Goddard Space Flight Center. He also flies the Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, the Gulfstream G-III, and both the Beech B-200 King Air and T-34 Turbo Mentor. He has more than 30 years and 13,000 hours of military and civilian flight experience in a wide variety of aircraft.

Brockett transferred to Dryden in December 1998 from NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., where he had been a NASA pilot from September 1987 to January 1998. At Ames he commanded a variety of scientific research missions on the DC-8, the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (a modified civil version of the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter), and the C-130B Earth Survey aircraft. He served as assistant chief pilot for the Airborne Science Program and advised both NASA management and program scientists on operational issues. In addition he flew as captain on T-38, Lear Jet 24, Lockheed YO-3 and Beech King Air aircraft to support other NASA programs.

Prior to employment with NASA, Brockett was as an airline pilot from 1977 to 1987. He flew the L-382 and DC-8 for Transamerica Airlines, where he was a check pilot and flew a variety of special projects worldwide, including oil and mining company support in remote areas. He also flew the Boeing 727 for Pan American World Airways.

Brockett served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve from 1973 to 1996, retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He flew C-141s worldwide for the 349th Military Airlift Wing from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. His service included 10 months recall to active duty to fly airlift missions to the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm. Prior to that, he flew both the C-141 and the C-130 transport aircraft on active duty with the U.S. Air Force, including 507 combat sorties in Vietnam.

When he graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a degree in international affairs in 1968, Brockett had already earned U.S. Army parachutist wings at Fort Benning, Ga. He completed undergraduate pilot training at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., and additional Air Force training for airlift, airdrop and tactical short field operations thereafter. He holds airline transport pilot ratings in the B-747, DC-8, L-382, L-300, Learjet 24, Ce-500. He also holds ratings for multi-engine land aircraft, commercial privileges for single-engine land aircraft, and a flight engineer rating for turbojet powered aircraft.