Don Bosworth

Biography

After graduation, Don proceeded to wings training, followed by tours as an instructor; as a fighter pilot on CF-101s in Bagotville; as a student at the US Navy Test Pilot School; as a test pilot at AETE, Cold Lake; and as the Canadian exchange test pilot at the US Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB. One of his more interesting projects was serving as lead test pilot for the integration of the Enhanced Envelope Gun Sight (E2GS) onto the F-16 platform.

After 17 years of straight flying tours, Don expected to be posted to a ground job in the land of snow and mosquitoes. Having fallen in love with the sunshine—and being at the 20/40 point—he bid adieu to the CAF in 1984 and accepted a position as a flight test engineer contractor for the US Navy at China Lake, CA, primarily involved in flight testing missile and gun systems on the F/A-18. The only downside was the 90-mile commute each way. A highlight of this period was a six-month temporary duty assignment in Switzerland (with his new wife) supporting the final in-country integration test of the Swiss Electronic Warfare Suite into their F/A-18s.

After 12 years of commuting, Don moved to a job at Edwards AFB and relocated to Turlock, CA a year later. In 2001, he bought a Cessna 172 and commuted the 200 miles to Edwards—only having to drive twice. In 2004, he joined the Missionary Aviation Repair Center (MARC) in Soldotna, AK as a missionary pilot flying King Air 90s throughout Alaska. During his last three years there, he also served as the flight scheduler, and when he and Cat moved back to Turlock in 2011, advancements in technology allowed him to continue scheduling flights remotely. In two years, he will have seven years working locally and seven years working remotely. Cat thought it would last only three years—oops.

Don and Cat have four children, three in California and one in North Carolina.