Top TPS grad returns to China Lake

Maj. William Rothermel, VX-31's newest AV-8B project test pilot, flew this Lockheed Martin TU-2S as part of his curriculum while attending the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in 2007.

Date: 20-Feb-08
News Release Number: ECL200802201
By Staci Mathews NAWCWD Public Affairs

Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 (VX-31) welcomed the top student pilot from December's U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School (USAF TPS) graduating class as the squadron's new Harrier test pilot in January.

Maj. William Rothermel, who spent 2007 attending USAF TPS at Edwards Air Force Base, is not new to China Lake. He served with VX-9 as the operational test director in the Harrier branch from March 2004 until he left to attend TPS in January 2007. Rothermel was hoping for orders back to China Lake after TPS and is now assigned as an AV-8B project test pilot with VX-31.

"This is exactly where I wanted to be when I started flying 10 years ago," he said.

Rothermel was chosen as the TPS class leader, and was named the Distinguished Graduate out of 11 pilots. All class activities throughout the year are graded on a numerical scale, and the students are ranked based on those numbers. Rothermel earned the top student award because of his consistent performance and high standards throughout the year.

"It's very much a team environment there," Rothermel said. "Anybody's successes are because of the help of everybody along the way."

He was also awarded the C-Dot Award. This award was named after Maj. Aaron C. George, an Air Force test pilot who was killed during the conduct of his duties.
This peer award was voted on by each of the 22 students in the class, and recognizes the one student they would most like to have on their test team when the chips are down.

"It really meant a lot that they chose me," Rothermel said. "I felt lucky to be chosen for the Air Force Test Pilot School and to be the class leader. I was even luckier to be with such an outstanding group of people."

Rothermel, who has firsthand fleet experience, said it is just as exciting and rewarding to be a test pilot in the developmental and operational test squadrons as it is being a fleet pilot.

"The best part of my job is that I get to interact with the fleet to find out where and what we need to improve," Rothermel said. "I love working with them because ultimately, they are the ones who decide what we need as a fighting force."

Rothermel came to VX-9 from VMA-231 based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. where he served as a Harrier pilot. While with VX-9, he worked on and introduced two Harrier software upgrades to the fleet. During his last year with the squadron, Rothermel had the additional responsibility of quality assurance officer in the maintenance department.

"I had the pleasure of working with a lot of great Sailors and Marines who kept the aircraft in a healthy status," he said.

Rothermel went active duty with the Marine Corps in 1995, and said his father, who served in the Navy for 24 years, influenced him to join the military.

"He is an honorable person and I wanted to follow in his footsteps," said Rothermel, a graduate of St. Olaf College who calls Minnesota home. "The Marine Corps offered me an aviation slot right out of college and I couldn't pass that up."

Rothermel said he is proud to be a Marine 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but he also enjoys spending time with his family playing games or watching movies. He and his wife, Amy, an audiologist in Ridgecrest, have two sons. Even though he didn't have much time to play golf last year while in test pilot school, he still managed to maintain a 6-handicap.

"2007 was a pretty special year for me at Edwards," Rothermel said. "It was an absolute pleasure and an honor to be there. Now, I'm happy to be back here at China Lake and I'm looking forward to doing the best job I can for the Marine Corps and the fleet."

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