About
Biography
James Terry
Jim Terry served a 20-year career as a fighter pilot, guidance and control engineer, and operations analyst in the United States Air Force. Following his retirement from active duty, he worked as a contractor in support of the development and operational testing of weapons systems being introduced into the Air Force. He was assigned to several bases across the continental United States during his career (including Kirtland AFB), and he also was stationed in Thailand and Fairbanks, Alaska.
His assignments included flying F-105D “Thunderchief (Thud)” strike, F-105G “Wild Weasel” defense suppression, and A-10A “Warthog” close air support aircraft. In 1972 he completed a combat tour in Southeast Asia, participating in 122 combat missions in the F-105G, 87 over North Vietnam. He also supported the analysis and testing of High Energy Laser systems, operational testing of the F-22 “Raptor” air superiority fighter, and anti-jamming testing of GPS-guided air-to-ground weapons. He fully retired in 2008.
Jim took a History of Art course as an elective during his senior year in school, and as part of that course he was able to participate in an ‘art laboratory’ to try his hand at oil painting. Ever since then he has been fascinated by the creative skills of a wide variety of artists. He enjoyed watching ‘how to’ shows on television, visiting art museums across the country, and shopping at local galleries and open-air arts and crafts markets.
Shortly after he retired, a chance encounter with Susan Birdsong at the Tamaya Resort introduced him to the New Mexico Watercolor Society where (after many years of procrastination) he found inspiration to begin painting with watercolors. Jim has enjoyed the instruction and encouragement he has received from the Society’s membership ever since.
Resume / CV
James G (“Lunchbox”) Terry Curriculum Vitae
1968 - Graduated from USAF Academy (BS Astronautics)
1969 - Graduated from Undergraduate Pilot Training
(Vance AFB OK) Commander in Chief Trophy:
Number One Graduate in Class
1970 - F-105D Student Training & Sqdn Pilot
(McConnell AFB KS)
1972 - F-105G Wild Weasel Training (Nellis AFB NV)
1972-73 - Combat Tour (Korat RTAFB Thailand) 122 "Wild Weasel"
defense suppression missions—87 over North Vietnam.
(Linebacker and Linebacker II campaigns)
1973-76 - F-105G Wild Weasel Pilot (George AFB CA)
1976-77 - Graduate Student, AF Institute of Technology
(Wright-Patterson AFB OH)
Distinguished Grad: MS Astronautical Engineering
(Guidance & Control)
1978-82 - Chief, Laser Analysis Branch, AF Weapons Laboratory
(Kirtland AFB NM)
1982 - A-10 Training (Davis-Monthan AFB AZ)
1982-85 - A-10 Instructor Pilot and Operations Officer
(Eielson AFB AK)
Graduated from University of Alaska, Fairbanks
(MS: Engineering Management)
1985-86 - Rand Research Fellow, Project Air Force, RAND Corp.
(Santa Monica CA)
1986-1988 - Long-Range Planning Division, HQ USAF, The Pentagon
(Washington DC)
1988 - Retired from active duty
1988-94 - Loral Corporation (Reston VA)
Analyzed Airborne missile approach warning, Lethal
Suppression of Enemy Air Defense [SEAD], Finding and
striking mobile targets
1994-2006 - Science Applications International Corp
(Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque NM)
F-22 Test Team, Air Force Ops Test & Evaluation Center
F-22 Air Combat Simulation Accreditation; Planning,
Execution & Reporting of F-22 Initial & Follow-on
Operational Testing and Evaluation
2006-08 - Science Applications International Corp
(Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque NM)
Joint Nav Warfare Center: (Anti-GPS jamming testing.
Gypsy Echo, Trial Spartan Hammer, Gypsy Golf)
2008 Fully retired
