"Billy O"

There’s nothing this guy hasn’t driven.  Sure, he flew the Space Shuttle Discovery, but did you know that he also drove the Zamboni?  He’s never heard of the word, “can’t.”  If it’s an adventure, and it’s on the planet (or off), Billy O will sniff it out and run it down.

He is an adventurer, writer, aviator and founding member of Adventure Write.  It’s his job to plan our expeditions, then train, outfit and keep us safe for them, which, he’d tell you, is no small task.

Billy O is also our company pilot.

Born an Air Force brat on 29 March 1965 in Virginia, he spent the first 10 years of his life hopping from base to base across the country with his family.

In 1975, he and his family moved to Anchorage, Alaska, which Billy O has considered home ever since.

• 1983  Diploma, West Anchorage High School, Alaska
• 1988  BS, Electrical Engineering, Oregon State University
• 1991  Designated a Naval Aviator
• 1994  Graduate, US Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN)
• 1995  Graduate, US Navy Test Pilot School
• 1998  MS, Aviation Systems, University of Tennessee Space Institute
• 1999  Completed NASA's Astronaut Candidate Training
• 2004  Graduate, National Outdoor Leadership School

• Professional Organization Membership:

• Association of Space Explorers
• Alaska Airman's Association
• Seaplane Pilot's Association

Billy O joined the Navy in 1988, right after completing his undergraduate degree.  He received his commission as an Ensign from Aviation Officer Candidate School in November 1988.

In 1989, he entered flight training in Texas and was designated a Naval Aviator in September 1990.

He then reported to Marine Fighter/Attack Training Squadron 101 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California for initial F/A-18 training.  Upon completion of training, he was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 146 at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California where he made overseas deployments aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz to the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch.

While assigned to VFA-146, he attended the US Navy Fighter Weapons School, TOPGUN, and was assigned as the Squadron Air-to-Air Weapons and Tactics Officer.  Billy O was selected for the United States Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland and began the course in January of 1995.  After graduation in December 1995, he was assigned to Strike Aircraft Test Squadron as an F/A-18 Project Officer and Test Pilot.

In February 1997, he went back to the United States Naval Test Pilot School as an Instructor flying the F/A-18, T-2, and U-6 aircraft.  In February 1998, he transferred to Carrier Air Wing 8 at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, where he was the Strike Operations Officer.  That same year, he was selected for the astronaut program.

Billy O reported to NASA's Johnson Space Center in August 1998.  After completing 2 years of training and evaluation, he qualified for space flight assignment as a shuttle pilot.  Prior to his flight, he performed technical duties in the Astronaut Office Advanced Vehicles Branch and CAPCOM Branch.  He completed his mission as pilot on STS-116 in December 2006 and has logged over 308 hours in space.

In May 2007 and at the request of the US Navy, Billy O returned to Navy duty at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek.  He retired from an exciting and storied 20-year Navy career in November 2008.

Shortly thereafter, Billy O accepted the post of Test Pilot Instructor at the National Test Pilot School in California.

Billy O has hiked and biked, climbed and paddled, canyoneered and mountaineered, and flown and rocketed in all parts of the world.

He has trained and explored with several world-class organizations, first as a Boy Scout in Alaska then as a Naval Aviator and Astronaut.

A graduate of two separate National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) courses, military survival training and astronaut training, he has acquired an enviable survival skill set.

Billy O has trained with US military survival specialists, Russian cosmonauts, the Canadian military and has completed NASA’s expeditionary training programs.

He has participated in several expeditions to remote locations including Antarctica and Low Earth Orbit.

Expedition teams, both amateur and expert, benefit from his unparalleled competence and patience in the field, where his skills as a natural teacher, a capable leader, and a hard-working team-member shine.  Although exploring the Arctic wonders remains his first passion, he constantly seeks a wide variety of adventures both on and off the planet.

Some of his more memorable experiences include:

For a pilot, Billy O is surprisingly articulate.  Forget what you hear over the airline intercom…this guy actually has personality.  He has written several short stories, articles and technical papers, and he's given numerous presentations during his career with NASA and the Navy.  He also wrote regularly from space in a mission blog hosted by NASA.

Billy O's writing has been published in several newspapers and magazines worldwide, including:

• The New York Times
• USA Today
• People Magazine
• Newsweek
• The Washington Post
• The Boston Globe
• Oprah Magazine
• The Air Force Times
• The New York Sun
• The New York Post
• The Pittsburgh Post Gazette
• Al Jazeera
• The Hamburger Abendblatt (Germany)
• Spiegel Online (Germany)
• The Telegraph (UK)
• The Australian (That would be out of Australia)

And he wasn't even trying... ☺

Billy O could just write a thousand words about an expedition and call it a day, but ever since he discovered the camera, he’s had it in hand for all of his adventures.  Billy O’s photos from space have been highlighted in magazines and newspapers worldwide.  This one of New Zealand is among his favorites:

Billy O was bitten by the aviation bug in 1979, when at 14 years old, he flew his first solo in a glider.  Aviation Fever set in, and he never recovered.  He has now logged over 4000 hours in nearly 60 types of aircraft, including over 200 carrier-arrested landings and over 300 hours in Space as the pilot of the Space Shuttle Discovery.

Billy has been flying things since he was 14.

I always knew he'd become an astronaut.

I think it was my influence on him when he was a kid.

© Copyright 2007-2009 Adventure Write. Website design by Adventure Write.
Source of Space Photos: NASA