Lt. Col. Gary A. Dahlke, Florida Wing

Lt. Col. Gary Dahlke, assistant DAE for Florida Wing, has had an interest in space since he was young. That interest developed into a long career in aerospace, including work on the NASA Space Shuttle solid rocket booster program.

 

May 24, 2023

Meet. Lt. Col. Gary A. Dahlke, Assistant Director of Aerospace Education for Florida Wing. Col. Dahlke joined Civil Air Patrol in 2002 after having been asked to give a guest presentation to CAP cadets at Patrick Air Force Base. He has been involved with that same National Cadet Special Activity (now called Space Operations Academy at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida), for nearly 20 years, having served as director for several years during that time. He has been interested in aerospace since he was a young boy. "I distinctly remember CBS live news reports of the Gemini IV space mission and continued to follow developments in spaceflight from that point on," he says. That interest led to a lifelong career in aerospace including work on the NASA Space Shuttle solid rocket booster program. "Thinking back to the summer of 1965, I could have never imagined a career that was so deeply involved in such amazing technology," he says. If you've participated in CAP's popular Model Rocketry Program, you have referenced his work. Col. Dahlke has written and edited CAP's Model Rocketry and Advanced Model Rocketry modules. He also has written and edited several chapters in CAP's textbook Aerospace: The Journey of Flight and Aerospace Dimensions Modules 4, 5 and 6. In 2015, he was presented with the prestigious NASA Inspire Award for his work sharing the story of space exploration with student and community groups throughout the Southeast. He was recently presented with the Certificate of Volunteer Excellence for service to the USAF community, having volunteered for more than 30 years and logging hundreds of hours each year, some of which was in his capacity as a Civil Air Patrol member. In addition to directing cadets during the NCSA at Florida's Space Coast, Col. Dahlke also has served on the staff of the National Aerospace Education Officers School, currently held in Cocoa Beach, arranging field trips at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral and serving as the tour guide on those trips. He knows that the aerospace field is a big draw for youth and cadets as well as adults, but he sees it as much more. "The 'coolness' factor is what often attracts youth interest," he says, "but beyond that, I see it as a worthwhile effort." We asked Col. Dahlke some questions about his aerospace career within and outside of CAP. His answers follow. 

(In addition, click here to see a video interview from the 2021 Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida.)

How and when did you get involved in Civil Air Patrol?

I served eight years of active-duty U.S. Air Force and four years AF Reserve, and I knew virtually nothing of CAP during that time. In 2002, I was asked by NASA to give a presentation to CAP cadets who were participating in the Air Force Space Command Familiarization NCSA that was being held at Patrick AFB. I was so impressed by the cadets’ sharp appearance and attentiveness that I inquired about the organization and joined later that year. I joined with the express intent of serving in Aerospace Education but later earned qualifications in Cadet Programs and Emergency Services as well.

Tell us about your CAP career path that led to your current role.

I serve as Assistant Director of Aerospace Education for Florida Wing. My full list of CAP assignments:

• October 2002 to August 2015: Squadron Aerospace Education Officer

• July 2004 to August 2012: Group Aerospace Education Officer

• June 2005 to November 2008: Squadron Commander

• June 2007 to April 2015: Wing Deputy Director of Aerospace Education

• April 2015 to January 2020: Wing Director of Aerospace Education

• September 2016 to present: Rocketry Programs Coordinator, NHQ

• January 2020 to present: Wing Assistant Director of Aerospace Education

Tell us about your aerospace experience background and any awards, accomplishments and recognition that you'd like to include, within and outside of CAP.

Lt. Col. Dahlke received the Certificate of Volunteer Excellence for service to the USAF community in April 2023.

While in the Air Force, I served nearly eight years on active duty in the fields of Ballistic Missile Maintenance and Command and Control. I also have more than four years of active participation in the Air Force Reserve. I received the Air Force Achievement Medal for meritorious service and numerous other military decorations. I was recently presented with the Certificate of Volunteer Excellence for service to the USAF community, having volunteered for more than 30 years and logging hundreds of hours each year, some of which was in my capacity as a Civil Air Patrol member. I also serve on the staff at the CAP National AEO School and have been appointed Rocketry Programs Coordinator at National Headquarters. For the school, I arrange and present tours at Kennedy Space Center as well as arranging and coordinating other activities. I am co-author of the CAP textbook Aerospace: The Journey of Flight, as well as numerous other CAP publications, including the Rocketry modules and several modules in the Aerospace Dimensions series. I was awarded the Total Quality Management Team Award for my work on the Titan IV program for the Air Force, and the Kennedy Space Center Continuous Improvement Team Award for work on the Space Shuttle’s solid rocket boosters. In 2015, I was presented the prestigious NASA Inspire Award for my work in sharing the story of space exploration with student and community groups throughout the Southeastern United States. In addition, I am the author of two published technical papers by the Canaveral Council of Technical Societies.

CAP Recognition 

• Distinguished Service Medal, for recognized leadership in support of the Space Operations Academy NCSA, 2016

• Exceptional Service Award, 2017, 2021

• Frank G. Brewer Award, Senior Member, Category II, Florida Wing, 2013

• Jeanne M Holm Aerospace Education Officer of The Year (Southeast Region), 2013

• A two-time recipient of Florida Wing Aerospace Education Circle of Excellence Award, 2007, 2010

Education

• 1988: Associate of Applied Science, Community College of the Air Force

• 1989: Bachelor of Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

• 2000: Master of Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

How long have you been in the aerospace field, and why did you choose it?

I grew up in southwest Florida near the town of Ft. Myers. I developed an interest in spaceflight during the summer break between second and third grades. I distinctly remember CBS live news reports of the Gemini IV space mission and continued to follow developments in spaceflight from that point on. In fourth grade I wrote an essay on my career interests and focused entirely on space exploration. In junior high I had the opportunity to meet Neil Armstrong at a Chamber of Commerce function that recognized his achievement of being the first person to walk on the Moon. It's hard to describe how profound that moment was and the effect that it had on me in wanting to pursue a career in the Space Program.

I did not feel I had developed the academic discipline in high school to the point where I felt I could succeed in college, so I decided to enlist in the U.S. Air Force, specifically choosing the ballistic

In junior high school, Gary Dahlke got the chance to meet astronaut Neil Armstrong, a moment that helped inspire Dahlke's career in the space program.

missile career field due to the similarities between those missiles and space launch vehicles. Little did I know that the missile training program I would enter had one of the most demanding schools in the Air Force. For Air Force enlisted positions, they are mainly interested in aptitude for high technology positions. If one has the aptitude, they have ways of instilling discipline if it is not currently present in the individual! The training environment was exactly what I needed — to the point that I was recognized as a student leader (a recognition I received in basic training as well). Upon graduation from technical school, I was assigned to the 351 Strategic Missile Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, where 150 Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) were kept on alert to retaliate against a nuclear attack on the United States. In 1982 I transferred to Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, which had a dual mission of training A-10 pilots for Tactical Air Command and maintaining 18 Titan II missiles on alert status for Strategic Air Command.

Back in 1980, I started taking evening college classes in the hopes of eventually earning a bachelor's degree. By 1983, I came to the realization that it would take me forever to earn a degree at the rate of 1-2 classes per semester, so I made the decision to separate from active duty and attend school full time. I stayed in the Tucson area and enrolled in a degree program that was offered by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which held classes and had a resident center on Davis-Monthan. In 1988, I was preparing to return to active duty and had a completed OTS application ready to go when I was informed that the Air Force had suspended OTS admissions due to an officer overage. I reacted by immediately sending applications to every aerospace company I could think of and was shortly hired by Martin-Marietta Astronautics Group in Denver, Colorado (now part of Lockheed-Martin). Martin was developing the new Titan IV launch vehicle for the Air Force, and I was assigned to the Payload Integration Group as a Systems Engineer. I worked on that program for four years until Martin suffered a massive layoff due to several government contract cancellations (the nature of the aerospace business). I moved to the Cape Canaveral area in Florida in the hopes of securing a job with one of the many aerospace companies supporting launch operations at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral.

I was soon hired by Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion, which was involved in refurbishing the reusable solid rocket boosters (SRB) for the Space Shuttle. I worked several assignments within the SRB element before transferring to Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, in 2000 to help train Space Shuttle astronauts for their missions. In 2002, I transferred back to Kennedy Space Center, working in Ground Operations Engineering for the Space Shuttle Orbiter and continued in that position to the conclusion of the program, having helped prepare each orbiter vehicle for its final trip into outer space. 

After the shuttle program, I was hired by NASA to support a program called Rocket University, which trained NASA engineers on small rocket projects. During this time, I also did contract work for Honeywell Aerospace in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, to support various college engineering projects throughout the island. In 2021, I was hired on to the faculty of the University of Central Florida to oversee rocket-based Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering design projects for seniors. Thinking back to the summer of 1965, I could have never imagined a career that was so deeply involved in such amazing technology.

Within CAP, why do you work in the Aerospace Education mission area? Why do you encourage youth in the Aerospace Education area?

Aerospace is one of the most highly technical (and visually impressive) of the engineering disciplines — ESPECIALLY that sub element that involves spaceflight. Recent developments have virtually guaranteed a viable industry for the foreseeable future. The “coolness” factor is what often attracts youth interest, but beyond that, I see it as a worthwhile effort.

We have talked about many of your CAP Aerospace Education contributions. Are there any other special projects you'd like to mention? 

In addition to those mentioned, I developed the Spaceflight Orientation Course for AEOs in Florida Wing. The course has served as the basis for activities now incorporated in the National AEO School. Also, I mentored cadets that built and flew the first (known) successful supersonic rocket project (this was detailed in a 2013 issue of CAP's Volunteer magazine and is included in CAP's Model Rocketry booklet).

What is the best CAP experience you have had since joining the organization?

This has been a continually recurring experience with the space-focused NCSA in Florida. Time and again I see cadets get bitten by the “space bug” when they have related that they know exactly what they want to do for a career as a result of their participation.

Tell us about any Civil Air Patrol aerospace education programs you use internally or externally.

Internally, it would be the rocketry, and to a lesser degree, the astronomy—STEM kits.  For more on external AE, I refer you to a video link on what I do at the annual Sun 'n Fun Expo in Lakeland, Florida. I also volunteer at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum as a CAP volunteer, where I introduce visitors to the extraordinary artifact collection and explain some of the history of America's early space program. 

What is the best advice you have for a new AE Officer working with cadets?

You gotta want to do this. If you are “just filling a slot,” you will not be effective. Cadets can recognize if you are sincere or not. If the genuine interest is there, CAP has the tools to help you succeed. 

Please tell an anecdote of a rewarding experience working with cadets.

I once had a cadet ask me if the rocket I brought in as a visual aid could fly supersonic — and having that question morph into the (now history-making) squadron supersonic rocket project, when I mentored cadets on building the supersonic rocket.

Is there anything else you'd like to tell us that we didn't ask?

I am a life member of the Air Force Association and actively involved with the National Association of Rocketry. In my spare time, I enjoy participating in amateur astronomy and flying large-scale high-power rockets.

Above, Lt. Col. Dahlke guides cadets at the Atlantis Exhibit at Kennedy Space Center. Below, he leads cadets at a rocket launch.