James D. Lang died on 15 November 2024. He was 82 years old.
Lang graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1963, with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. Lang pursued advanced studies that reflected his passion for aerospace innovation, earning an M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Aerodynamics from Cranfield Institute of Technology in England.
Lang served in the U.S. Air Force for 25 years. He flew 320 combat missions as a Forward Air Controller during the Vietnam War and was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Purple Heart, two Meritorious Service Medals, and 16 Air Medals for his valor and dedication. He served as an Associate Professor of Aeronautics at the Air Force Academy for six years and spent the remainder of his military career at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Aeronautical Systems Division as an Engineering Test Pilot, Chief of the Avionics Laboratory, and Deputy for Engineering. He retired in 1988 as a Colonel having been awarded the Legion of Merit.
Following his military service, Lang joined Boeing (and McDonnell Douglas) for 11 years of in the roles of chief engineer of the National Aerospace Plane (NASP), the F-15 “Eagle”, and F-4 “Phantom” programs. In 1999 he retired as director of Technology Development in the Phantom Works organization. He served on the USAF Scientific Advisory Board and was recognized as a Fellow of both AIAA and the Royal Aeronautical Society.
After his second retirement he taught in the Aerospace Engineering department at the University of California, San Diego, in addition to acting as Principal Investigator a DARPA flight test program.
A long-time member of AIAA, Lang was a member of the Committee on Higher Education, the Honors and Awards Committee, the Technical Activities Committee, as well as serving on the Board of Directors. He received the AIAA Sustained Service Award in 2001.
