Marine Col. Terry Wilcutt and Naval Cmdr. David Finney grew up within minutes of each other, but it would be several years and several thousand feet in the air before their paths would cross.
Wilcutt, a native of Russellville, and Finney, originally from Auburn, were honored Saturday at Aviation Heritage Park in Warren County during a dedication ceremony for a restored NASA T-38 Talon airplane, the supersonic jet on which Wilcutt, Neil Armstrong, John Glenn and other astronauts trained before flying missions into space.
Wilcutt is a veteran of four space flights who served as commander on two space shuttle missions and piloted two others.
He is now director of Safety and Mission Assurance at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
For all his accomplishments, Wilcutt still recalls the training missions he flew while under the watchful eye of Finney, who was chief of the Johnson Space Center Aircraft Operations Division in the Flight Crew Operations Directorate.
“You knew that he wasn’t going to miss a thing,” Wilcutt said of Finney, who died in 2010. “He would inform you if he let something slip.”
Finney served in Vietnam, flying several combat missions as a Naval pilot.
Upon retiring from the Navy, Finney joined NASA in 1987 as a civilian research pilot and engineering manager at the Johnson Space Center.
Wilcutt said Finney exuded impeccable leadership that culminated in his being awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the space agency’s highest honor, in 2008.
During his remarks, Wilcutt touched on how appropriate it seemed that Finney’s name on the restored Talon was positioned outside the instructor’s seat.
“He routinely lived up to and exceeded very high expectations,” Wilcutt said. “His technical expertise, moral courage, personal integrity and leadership set a standard for all of us.”
NASA Administrator Gen. Charles Bolden said Wilcutt serves as the agency’s “conscience” on issues of safety and reliability.
Bolden marveled at the restored aircraft on display at the park and said that the Talon, which was relocated to the park last month, should serve as a piece of living history to inspire young visitors who may not know about the community’s ties to the space program.
“These are machines back here, but what they really do is tell a story, and it’s the story of the people who flew them and prepared them,” Bolden said.
David Finney’s brother, retired Naval Rear Adm. Jim Finney, said David’s career has served as a source of pride for his surviving family.
Jim Finney also recalled the many childhood hunting and fishing jaunts he and his brother took in the area.
“He was very willing to share his knowledge and his humor,” Finney said.
Wilcutt said after the ceremony that he felt he was born with a desire to fly, recalling a fascination with the silvery streaks left by passing jets when he played baseball as a child.
Wilcutt said he hoped that young visitors who see the names on the Talon and other aircraft in the park become curious about the people associated with the artifacts and motivated to pursue a career in the skies.
“This park is an investment in our kids, and I hope to see a return in that investment,” Wilcutt said.
— Follow reporter Justin Story on Twitter at twitter.com/jstorydailynews or visit bgdailynews.com.
