Robert E. Thacker

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Colonel Robert E. Thacker, USAF (Ret.) (b. 1918) is a retired test pilot, a lifelong model aircraft enthusiast, one of the few pilots in history to do two tours of duty in two different theaters of operation (Europe and Japan) in World War II and the holder of a number of aviation records.

Thacker's interest in aviation was sparked in 1926 at age eight when a neighbor purchased an operating model aircraft.^[1] By 1929, Thacker had completed his first model, that of the Spirit of St. Louis and went on to earn spending money building balsa gliders. He joined his first aeromodeling club in El Centro, California in 1932.

A graduate of the Air Force Test Pilot Academy at California's Edwards Air Force Base, Thacker was responsible for testing a wide variety of aircraft bwetween 1939 and 1970, including the first accelerated tests of the P-80 combat-ready jet fighter, assisted by then Cpt. Chuck Yeager.

His most notable achievement came in 1947 with his test of the Betty Jo, a P-82 named after his wife. This was to be the first nonstop test of a fully laden fighter between Honolulu, Hawaii and New York City, New York. The 14 hour, 32 minute test, which started at Hickam Air Force Base on February 27 and which ended at LaGuardia Airport was a success; Thacker even set the speed record at an average of 350 miles per hour (560 km/h). Both the aircraft and the flight jacket Thacker wore are on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. His co-pilot on the trip was Lt. John Ard. The trip remains the longest and fastest ever by a propeller-driven fighter.

Another notable achievement came in 1972 as the test pilot of a solar-powered aircraft designed and built by Lockheed.

In wartime, Thacker flew two tours of duty in a B-17 in World War II, a single tour in the Korean War with a B-29 and classified high-altitude reconnaissance missions during the Vietnam War.

His wartime service earned him two Silver Stars, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, ten air medals and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.

Thacker and his wife presently reside in San Clemente, California; he remains active in the hobby of radio controlled model aviation and frequently participates in meets in and around Southern California with his giant-scale, turbine-powered F-15.