198 missions to his name, Dwelle will reflect on his military career at the Wednesday, September 4 Estrella Warbirds Museum Monthly Dinner
August 22, 2019. Retired USAF Colonel Steve Dwelle will reflect on his military career at the Estrella Warbirds Museum September Monthly Dinner. During his 21 years in the air force, he had flying assignments throughout the world, including Southeast Asia and as a member of the Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team. Steve has logged flight hours in some of the most advanced fighter jets of their time – the F-100 Super Saber, F-104 Starfighter, F-4 Phantom, F-5 Tiger, and F-15 Eagle. Yet he says he has had “a wonderful flying career in the Air Force, by accident.”
Born in 1940 and raised in Visalia, Steve advanced his education by attending San Francisco State College where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in World Business in 1962. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1963, attended Officer’s Training School and was commissioned that same year. Steve earned his pilot wings at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma in 1965.
He completed 198 combat missions in Southeast Asia in the F-100 Super Saber, and flew 144 shows over 2 years with the USAF Aerial Demonstration Team as a solo performer in Thunderbird 5, an F-4 Phantom. An assignment as Commander of the Aggressor Squadron in the USAF Top Gun Organization known as Red Flag brought Steve to Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas, Nevada.
Career broadening assignments sent him to the east coast where he served 2 years in the Fighter Division at the Pentagon, 2 years in the U. S. Senate as Liaison Officer, and to the Fighter Command Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, as Director of Fighter Plans. Colonel Steve Dwelle retired in 1984.
Steve and his family returned to Visalia after retirement where he is currently a partner with his 3 brothers in Flyers Energy LLC, which owns and operates gas stations and convenience stores in California and Arizona.
The public is invited to this event, on Wednesday, September 4, 2019, and reservations can be made by calling the museum at 805 296-1935 or by visiting us online at www.ewarbirds.org/museum/reservations.shtml. Deadline for reservations is 6:00 pm on Monday, September 2nd. Price for the dinner is $20.00 per person. Doors will open at 5:30 pm with a no host bar (cash only, no credit cards), and the catered dinner will begin at 6:30 pm.
Estrella Warbirds Museum is located at 4251 Dry Creek Road, Paso Robles, California. The museum is open Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. Call for Monday holiday hours. For general admission information, visit www.ewarbirds.org.
