Don Sloan
US Air Force Officer
Commander, Ops Group, Dover AFB
Decorated Pilot and Officer
General Aviation champion
Don Sloan graduated from the United States Air Force Academy, Class of '73. He earned
his Army jump wings at Ft. Benning and soloed in the Cessna T-41 Mescalero at the
Academy. After pilot training at Vance AFB, OK, he was assigned to fly C-141 Starlifters at
McGuire AFB, New Jersey.
After his active duty commitment, he became a reservist and then joined the Federal Civil
Service as a full{ime Air Reserve Technician. At McGuire, Don accumulated 12,500 hours in
the C-141 A/B, including flying in Operations' Desert Shield/Desert Storm. He progressed
through unit positions, including several months as "acting" 514th Operations Group
Commander.
Exemplary military service culminated in his 2001 selection as Commander of the 512th
Operations Group at Dover AFB. Arriving at Dover on 12 Aug 2001 , life changed for him and
his Operators only one month later. lncreased training, unit mobilization, and partial
deployments of his Group resulted in a 300% increase in ops tempo, an unprecedented high
morale level, and back-to-back AF Outstanding Unit Awards. His five years with the men and
women of the 512" Ops Group was the highlight of his thirty-three year career.
Upon his retirement in 2006, he was awarded the Legion of Merit. Among his other awards
are the Meritorious Service Medal with three devices, the Air Medal, the Aerial Achievement
Medal, the AF Achievement Medal with two devices, and the AF Outstanding Unit Award with
three devices.
Don owns and flies a 1969 PiperArrow (most practical), 1941 PT-17 Stearman (most
exciting), a 1975 Citabria and a 1947 Aeronca L-16 Grasshopper (most fun!). He has donated
hundreds of flight certificates for dozens and dozens of worthy causes, including USO
Delaware, Meals-On-Wheels, Delaware Farm Bureau, the AMC Museum, Special Olympics
Delaware, Habitat for Humanity, Tuskegee Airmen, Kent County Tourism, the Central
Delaware Chamber of Commerce, Dover's Fraternal Order of Police, the Milford Museum,
various church groups and several other non-profit organizations - including our own
Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame!
Becoming a life member of the Air Mobility Command Museum Foundation in 2004, he
became president of the board in 2008. Since then, he has helped to raise hundreds of
thousands of dollars for the support of the AMC Museum, and has made their foundation the
benchmark of the Air Force Heritage system.
Don Sloan is a highly decorated military pilot and Group Commander, a general aviation
ground breaker, an aircraft restorer, a warbird owner and operator, a grassroots airport
owner, a champion of aviation museums, and a mentor to aspiring aviators, both young and
old alike.
