Limbaugh, Pickering and Bowling named newest AEDC Fellows Published June 19, 2009 By Janae' Daniels AEDC/PA Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. -- Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) will induct a new AEDC Fellow and two Lifetime Achievement Fellows June 25 at the annual Fellows banquet at the Arnold Lakeside Club. The newest AEDC Fellow is Dr. Charles Limbaugh. He joins 58 others selected for this honor since the program began in 1989. The AEDC Lifetime Achievement Fellow recognizes individuals who have made significant and exceptionally valuable contributions to AEDC throughout their career. This year's honorees are Temple Bowling and Dave Pickering. The guest speaker for the event is Dr. Charles McQueary. Dr. McQueary held the position of director of operational test and evaluation for the Office of the Secretary of Defense before retiring earlier this year. He served as the senior adviser to the Secretary of Defense on testing Department of Defense weapon systems, prescribing policies and procedures for the conduct of operational and live fire test and evaluation. Prior to that position, he was the first Under Secretary for Science and Technology at the Department of Homeland Security. He led the research and development arm of the department, utilizing the nation's scientific and technological resources to provide federal, state and local officials with the technology and capabilities to protect the homeland. Dr. McQueary is a former president of General Dynamics Advanced Technology Systems. He has also been president and vice president of business units for AT&T, Lucent Technologies and a director for AT&T Bell Laboratories. He is a former executive board member of the National Security Industrial Association (NSIA) and the American Defense Preparedness Association (ADPA). He is a past chairman of the Undersea Warfare Systems Division of ADPA and a former member of the Navy League Industrial Executive Board, the Navy Submarine League, the Electronics Industries Association, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is also the recipient of the NSIA Homeland Security Leadership award. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin where he earned a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering, a master of science in mechanical engineering and Ph.D. in engineering mechanics as a NASA scholar and a member of five academic societies. The university has named him a distinguished engineering graduate. AEDC Fellow Dr. Charles "Chad" Limbaugh Dr. Limbaugh started his AEDC career in 1964. His primary focus has been in the study of the physics of expanding non-thermal supersonic and hypersonic gas flows. He also contributed to the non-intrusive diagnostics of rocket and turbine engine exhausts. In the early 1960s, he focused on developing and understanding methods to heat air and other gases to the stagnation temperature of reentry vehicles. In the 1970s, Dr. Limbaugh turned his attention to missile plumes observed from the new overhead infrared sensors and to the aircraft and ground truth measurements which supported them. Chief contribution to the area of combustion flows diagnostics was the infrared emission-absorption method of measurements of local species partial pressure and temperatures for rocket and jet engine flows. Other contributions included methods of modeling the addition of energy to non-thermal equilibrium flows and the subsequent thermalization of that energy. Dr. Limbaugh has represented AEDC through his involvement in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), serving as the AEDC representative on the AIAA Thermophysics Technical committee. He has also been the AIAA Thermophysics Program Chairman and the AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting General Chairman. Although he retired from the center in 2002, he continues to work in the Advanced Missile Signature Center and the Technology Department on special projects. Dave Pickering Throughout his career, Pickering was noted as providing the Air Force and AEDC leadership of the contracting function, overseeing the award and management of more than $1 billion worth of contracts required to operate and maintain AEDC. His expertise ensured the protection of AEDC's work force by developing the contracting provisions which enhanced and preserved AEDC's talented and skilled work force. Pickering was assigned as AEDC's procurement officer after receiving his commission in 1963. He served as a buyer, negotiator, contract administrator and contracting officer until 1966. After leaving active duty in 1968, Pickering came back to AEDC as a civilian contract specialist. During his tenure, Pickering played an integral part in four operating contract competitions. He single-handedly devised and implemented techniques and contract provisions in 1980 when the center's operation and maintenance contract split into three contracts after having a single contract work force for 30 years. According to former commander retired Col. Larry Graviss, the government was in jeopardy of losing hundreds of highly skilled technicians, scientists and managers. Pickering worked to preserve the benefits at no additional cost to the government, thereby facilitating the retention of hundreds of employees. Pickering retired in 1995 with more than 31 years of service to the center. Temple Bowling Bowling started his AEDC career as an Air Force captain in 1973. After seven years of service, Bowling separated from active duty to become an Air Force Reservist and join the ranks of the contractor world. He first started as purchaser in the warehouse for Arnold Research Organization (ARO) in 1977. By 1981, he moved into the civil service arena working for the deputy of Contracting. He helped develop the processes and procedures needed to operate the center under the new paradigm of three operating contracts versus the sole source that existed for 30 years. He was key in ensuring the initial success of this new business arrangement especially the implementation of the cost plus award fee evaluation process where the operating contractor no longer received an automatic fixed fee regardless of performance. In 1995, he reached the highest position in procurement at AEDC as the director of contracting. He regularly interacted with the center commander, higher headquarters personnel program executive officer for combat and mission support, and other senior governmental and private sector officials. For more than 10 years Bowling was the center's front-line advocate for the unique government-managed, contractor-operated business model and how that contributed to the long-term success of the center. Former AEDC commander retired Brig. Gen. David Stringer asked Bowling to serve as the center's acting executive director in 2006. He filled the critical command section position for a three-month period ensuring continuity of the office. Bowling was asked to serve in his current role later in 2006 as the deputy director of the 704th Mission Support Group. He is responsible for providing planning, policy development, management and supervision of all aspects of mission support to the group and AEDC commanders. Fellows program Established in 1989, the Fellows program recognizes AEDC individuals who have made exceptionally distinguished and substantial contributions to the nation's aerospace ground testing capability at the center. As for the AEDC Fellow nomination, current or retired military, civilian and operating contractor and subcontractor personnel assigned or previously assigned to AEDC can also be considered candidates for selection as an AEDC Lifetime Achievement Fellow. For more information about the AEDC Fellows program to include past Fellows, go to http://www.arnold.af.mil/library/pioneers.asp.