Colonel Robert S. McCormick - Pilot |
United States Air Force Thunderbird #5 |
A Distinguished Veteran |
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 Robert S. McCormick was born and raised in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and began dreaming about being a pilot not long after he learned to walk. His dream came true in 1946 when he was a senior in high school and obtained his private pilot’s license. By working at a lumberyard after school and at the Oshkosh airport as a “prop-boy” on weekends, he managed to acquire the required 40 hours of flying time needed for his license in only 12 months. Immediately after graduation from high school, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Force and spent his first year of service as a medical corpsman. He entered the Aviation Cadet Program in 1947, and he completed the training and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in 1948. His cadet class was the first to begin flight training in the AT-6, followed by the P-51 Mustang. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the 1st Fighter Group stationed at March Air Force Base, Riverside, California, where he flew the P-80 and F-86. While there he flew the right wing position in the acrobatic team known as the “Sabre Dancers”, which flew the F-86 Sabre. Towards the end of 1951, Mac was assigned to the 16th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing at Suwon, Korea, and flew 100 combat missions in the F-86. |
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| Mac McCormick and the "Thunderbirds" |
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| The Thunderbirds |
| After completing his tour in Korea in 1952, he was assigned to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, where he began a career as a Fighter Weapons Instructor. In May, 1953, Mac was selected to become a member of the first United States Air Force Aerial Demonstration Team, known as “The Thunderbirds”, as the spare pilot. As the spare pilot, he was ready to replace any one of the three flight positions, which were right wing, left wing, or slot position (except the leader) if they had to “abort”. “I started with the Thunderbirds as a spare pilot. As such, I had to learn all of the other positions-except the lead. It soon became clear that I was not going to be used as the spare, since no one aborted due to an aircraft problem because our maintenance was superior. In order to get at least a little flying time, at a show site I would take-off a few minutes before the demonstration to 'check the weather'. A bit later I would fly in the show in one of the non-lead positions. I flew at least one show in each of those positions until I became the regular slot pilot with the departure of Bob Kanaga in September, 1953. The spare did not act as narrator, as we had a Public Information Officer that did that task. The first team did not have a solo act." In September, 1953, Mac became the team’s slot pilot until he completed his tour with the team in November, 1954. |
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| Life after the Thunderbirds |
 Upon his departure from the Thunderbirds, Mac returned to duty as a Fighter Weapons Instructor in various units, flying the F-51, AT-33, F-84, F-86, and F-100, which included a tour of duty in Saudi Arabia. In 1963, he graduated from the United States Air Force Air Command and Staff College. This earned him the dubious distinction of serving a four-year tour on the HQ USAF Air Staff at the Pentagon. He flew the T-33 during both of these latter assignments. Following the Pentagon, Mac graduated in 1968 from the United States Army War College. Then his next assignment overseas was a combat tour in Vietnam, where he was assigned to the 390th Fighter Squadron, 366th Fighter Wing at Danang, and commanded the 389th Fighter Squadron, 37th Fighter Wing at Phu Cat. He flew 135 combat missions in the F-4 Phantom. “Just about every combat mission was memorable, I managed to survive all of them!" |
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| Upon his return to the United States in 1970, he was assigned to the 68th Air Support Group at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, as the Deputy Commander, flying the O-2. From 1972 to 1974, Mac served as Director of Operations for the Tactical Air Command’s TAC Air Warfare Center, flying the F-4 and RF-4 Phantom. After the TAWC assignment in 1974, he completed a staff assignment in Germany at HQ European Command, followed by an England Assignment as the Commander of Silk Purse Control Group, which was the US European Commander’s airborne command and control center. After retiring from the Air Force, he went to work for Northrop in their Aircraft Division’s Studies and Analysis branch as a manager of Threat Analysis until he retired in 1988. |
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| Medals |
| Mac retired from active duty in 1979 as a Colonel with 33 years of service. He was qualified in 29 aircraft with over 5,600 hours of military flying time. He has been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze Star, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with nine oak leaf clusters, and numerous service medals. |
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| 'Mac' McCormick is one of our Rogue's Gallery members. |
| (Thanks are due A.D. Brown and Dick Catledge for providing photos) |
