Golden Arms, aka Test Pilots: Six Years that Changed Aerial Warfare

 Michael Williams served fourteen years of a twenty-six year Air Force career as an aerial photographer, of which eleven were spent supporting Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) programs over military test ranges in Utah and New Mexico. As one of five Air Force flight test photographers documenting Department of Defense (DoD) inflight weapon systems tests from 1989 to 1995, he developed new techniques and technologies to capture data more efficiently, and helped advance our nation’s air power for today and tomorrow.

Lance Grace spent half of his twenty year Air Force career in the Flight Test arena. Being one of the first test pilots to fly and develop F-15 Strike Eagles at Edwards AFB, he brought a synergistic philosophy to Holloman AFB, where he became the youngest commander of an active Air Force flying squadron. Having little backing, Lance created a self-sustaining mission for the 586th Flight Test Squadron that continues to this day, including all operational and maintenance support for DoD missions staging out of Holloman for tests conducted over the White Sands Missile Range.