AIAA Mourns Honorary Fellow and Past AIAA President George Muellner Written 14 February 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: John Blacksten
703.264.7532
[email protected]

February 14, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) mourns the passing of Lt. Gen. George Muellner, U.S. Air Force (retired), AIAA Honorary Fellow and past AIAA president.

A highly decorated veteran, Muellner spent most of his career as a fighter pilot and fighter weapons instructor, test pilot, and commander. He flew combat missions in Vietnam and commanded the Joint STARS deployment during Operation Desert Storm.

“George Muellner served his country and helped guide the aerospace community,” said Dan Dumbacher, AIAA executive director. “We are grateful for his contributions and keenly feel his loss. Our support goes out to his wife, Vicki, and family.”

Muellner entered the U.S. Air Force through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Illinois. Most of his career was spent as a fighter pilot, fighter weapons instructor and test pilot with more than 5,300 hours in F-4, A-7, F-15 and F-16 aircraft. He completed 690 combat missions in Vietnam flying the F-4, and during Operation Desert Storm he commanded the Joint STARS deployment, logging another 50 combat sorties. He commanded a classified test squadron, the Joint STARS Squadron and a tactical fighter wing.

As director of requirements at Air Combat Command, Muellner orchestrated the operational requirements for all of the combat air forces and then became the mission area director for tactical, command, control and communications (C3), and weapons programs for the assistant secretary of the Air Force, acquisition. As the program executive officer for the Joint Advanced Strike Technology Program, he created this joint service development activity.

Muellner retired from the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant general in 1998 after serving for 31 years. He most recently served as principal deputy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition in Washington, D.C.

He retired from The Boeing Company in February 2008 after serving as president of Advanced Systems for the Integrated Defense Systems business unit. He also was a former president of Phantom Works, Boeing’s advanced research and development unit.

Muellner joined AIAA in 1997 and was AIAA president from 2008 to 2009. An active member, he also served on numerous committees, including as chair of the Honors and Awards Committee, chair of the Crichlow Trust Prize Selection Committee, chair of the Fellow Selection Committee, and chair of the Board of Directors Nomination Committee.

Acknowledging the benefit that he received from a scholarship while at the University of Illinois, Muellner gave back to the next generation by creating scholarships to provide similar opportunities for engineering students. Since 2014, the $5,000 AIAA Foundation Vicki and George Muellner Scholarship for Aerospace Engineering has been awarded annually to an undergraduate student studying in a field of science or engineering encompassed by the technical activities of AIAA.

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 85 countries, and 95 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, aiaa.org, or follow us on Twitter @AIAA.

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American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
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