Three Selected as 2025 AEDC Fellows
Coffee County, Tenn. — The Arnold Community Council has announced three Arnold Engineering Development Complex retirees are joining the AEDC Fellows Program. Bill Phillips, Ph.D., John Hopf and Dave Duesterhaus will be formally inducted as AEDC Fellows during the ACC banquet later this year.
Phillips was selected as an AEDC Technical Fellow, while Hopf and Duesterhaus were selected as AEDC Lifetime Achievement Fellows. These three individuals are being recognized for their disproportionately positive influence on the state-of-the-art aerospace ground testing and the nation’s aerospace technological prowess. Phillips, Hopf and Duesterhaus represent the 121st, 122nd and 123rd AEDC Fellows selected since the program’s inception.
Dr. Bill Phillips
Phillips directly supported AEDC for 34 years as an engineering specialist and physicist. He advanced the state-of-the-art associated with signature modeling and measurement for both AEDC and the nation through his work as a lead investigator for infrared and visible spectrum system measurement programs. His design, development and implementation of spectral models and codes were used by multiple government agencies and defense contractors to ensure system development success.
John Hopf
Hopf directly supported AEDC for 39 years culminating as the subject matter expert for the 716th Test Squadron. He was the lead wind tunnel test engineer responsible for improving productivity, efficiency and safety of virtually every wind tunnel at AEDC during his career. His improvements of captive trajectory systems at AEDC, for example, greatly reduced the risk of catastrophic failures of first-time munitions releases from aircraft. As a result of his national reputation, he was selected to support NASA’s highly visible and sensitive Columbia Accident Investigation Board.
Dave Duesterhaus
Duesterhaus directly supported AEDC for 42 years beginning as an analysis and design engineer and finishing his career as lead for the Technology Division. In between, he served as director of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex and Ground Test Representative at the Office of the Secretary of Defense Director of Operational Test and Evaluation. Since retiring, Duesterhaus has served as the ACC vice president and president and, for the last nine years, has been the lead for developing, documenting and delivering advocacy teams to ensure the Pentagon and Congress understand the importance of AEDC and policy initiatives necessary to preserve AEDC’s critical national missions.
The AEDC Fellows Program
Established in 1989, the AEDC Fellows program recognizes AEDC personnel who have made substantial and exceptionally distinguished technical contributions to the nation’s aerospace ground testing capability at AEDC which includes AEDC facilities at Arnold AFB and all AEDC remote operating locations nation-wide. Since the inception of the Fellows program, a total of 117 individuals (Technical Fellows, Craft Fellows, Lifetime Achievement Fellows and Honorary Fellows) have been inducted as AEDC Fellows. Due to changed government rules and regulations in 2016 on awards to non-government employees ACC assumed responsibility for continuing the AEDC Fellows program.
AEDC Technical Fellow
AEDC Technical Fellow nominations may be submitted by any present or former AEDC government or operating contractor/subcontractor employee. All current or retired military, civilian and operating contractor and subcontractor personnel assigned or previously assigned to AEDC can be considered candidates for selection as an AEDC Technical Fellow. Candidates qualified for consideration as an AEDC Fellow must personally have made exceptional sustained, notable and valuable contributions in aerospace ground testing at AEDC.
AEDC Craftsmen Fellow
AEDC Lifetime Achievement Fellow
AEDC Honorary Fellow
Annual Banquet
Newly selected AEDC Fellows are honored annually on or about June 25, the birthday of General of the Air Force Henry “Hap” Arnold for whom AEDC is named and the anniversary of the dedication of AEDC by President Harry S Truman in 1951.
This years AEDC Fellows will be pinned as a Fellow at AEDC Fellows Day on June 23rd. They will formally be inducted as an AEDC Fellow at the annual Arnold Community Council Banquet on November 16th.
For more information contact the Chairman of the ACC AEDC Fellows Committee AEDC Fellow retired Major General Mike Wiedemer at (931) 308-1923 or wiedemerm@gmail.com
Find out all of the information you need to make a Nomination
Need Help with the Nomination Process?
Nominations must be submitted in written form with supporting materials to arrive by May 3rd, 2024. Submission details are included in the Nomination Form packet.