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Contact Info
Home Town Olney, Maryland
Last Address Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Date of Passing Feb 18, 2012
Location of Interment Jacksonville National Cemetery (VA) - Jacksonville, Florida
Dave Dingee was born on February 16, 1943, in Olney, Maryland. After graduating with a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, he entered Officer Training School on March 17, 1967, and was commissioned a 2d Lt in the U.S. Air Force at Lackland AFB, Texas, on May 27, 1967. Lt Dingee attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Webb AFB, Texas, from June to October 1967, and then completed Undergraduate Navigator Training and was awarded his navigator wings at Mather AFB, California, in July 1968. He then attended Electronic Warfare Officer training at Mather AFB from July 1968 to April 1969, and F-4 Phantom II Combat Crew Training at Homestead AFB, Florida, from April 1969 to February 1970. His next assignment was as an F-4E Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) with the 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron at DaNang AB, South Vietnam, from February 1970 to February 1971, followed by service as an F-4E WSO and Instructor WSO with the 309th Tactical Fighter Squadron and the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing at Homestead AFB from February 1971 to April 1972. Capt Dingee then deployed with the 308th Tactical Fighter Squadron to Udorn Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, where he flew combat missions in Southeast Asia from April 1972 until he was forced to eject over North Vietnam and was taken as a Prisoner of War on June 27, 1972. After spending 275 days in captivity, he was released during Operation Homecoming on March 28, 1973. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, and then attended Undergraduate Pilot Training, receiving his pilot wings at Moody AFB, Georgia, in October 1974. He then completed F-4 Combat Crew Training and served as an F-4D pilot at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, from October 1975 to October 1977. Maj Dingee attended Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk, Virginia, from October 1977 to August 1978, and then served as a Joint Air Operations Officer in South Korea from August 1978 to July 1980. His next assignment was with the 63rd Tactical Fighter Group at MacDill AFB, Florida, where he requalified in the F-4 from July 1980 to February 1981, served as Assistant Group Operations Officer from February to May 1981, served as Operations Officer of the 63rd Tactical Fighter Squadron from May to October 1981, and then served as Operations Officer of the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron from October 1981 to June 1982. Lt Col Dingee served as Operations officer of the 70th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Moody AFB, Georgia, from June 1982 to August 1983, and then as Commander of the 69th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Moody from August 1983 to December 1984. His next assignment was as Assistant Deputy Commander for Operations with the 347th Tactical Fighter Wing at Moody AFB from December 1984 to July 1985, followed by Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, from July 1985 to June 1986. Col Dingee served as Deputy Commander for Operations of the 23rd Tactical Fighter Wing at England AFB, Louisiana, from June 1986 to February 1987, and then as Vice Commander of the 23rd Tactical Fighter Wing from February 1987 to June 1988. His next assignment was as Commander of the 343rd Tactical Fighter Wing at Eielson AFB, Alaska, from June 1988 to August 1990, followed by service at Langley AFB, Virginia, from August 1990 until his retirement from the Air Force on July 1, 1992. Dave Dingee died on February 18, 2012, and was buried at the Jacksonville National Cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida.
Aircraft/Missile Information
From Wikipedia: The F-4 Phantom was designed as a fleet defense fighter for the U.S. Navy, and first entered service in 1960. By 1963, it had been adopted by the U.S. Air Force for the fighter-bomber role. When production ended in 1981, 5,195 Phantom IIs had been built, making it the most numerous American supersonic military aircraft.[7] Until the advent of the F-15 Eagle, the F-4 also held a record for the longest continuous production with a run of 24 years. Innovations in the F-4 included an advanced pulse-doppler radar and extensive use of titanium in its airframe.[8] Despite the imposing dimensions and a maximum takeoff weight of over 60,000 pounds (27,000 kg),[9] the F-4 had a top speed of Mach 2.23 and an initial climb of over 41,000 ft per minute (210 m/s).[10] Shortly after its introduction, the Phantom set 15 world records,[11] including an absolute speed record of 1,606.342 mph (2,585.086 km/h), and an absolute altitude record of 98,557 ft (30,040 m).[12] Although set in 1959?1962, five of the speed records were not broken until 1975 when the F-15 Eagle came into service.[11] The F-4 could carry up to 18,650 pounds (8,480 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, and unguided, guided, and nuclear bombs.[13] Since the F-8 Crusader was to be used for close combat, the F-4 was designed, like other interceptors of the day, without an internal cannon;[14] In a dogfight, the RIO or WSO (commonly called "backseater" or "pitter") assisted in spotting opposing fighters, visually as well as on radar. It became the primary fighter-bomber of both the Navy and Air Force by the end of the Vietnam War. Due to its distinctive appearance and widespread service with United States military and its allies, the F-4 is one of the best-known icons of the Cold War. It served in the Vietnam War and Arab?Israeli conflicts, with American F-4 crews achieving 277 aerial victories in South East Asia and completing countless ground attack sorties.[15] The F-4 Phantom has the distinction of being the last United States fighter to attain ace status in the 20th century. During the Vietnam War, the USAF had one pilot and two WSOs,[16] and the USN one pilot and one RIO,[17] become aces in air-to-air combat. It was also a capable tactical reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (suppression of enemy air defenses) platform, seeing action as late as 1991, during Operation Desert Storm.[4][5] The F-4 Phantom II was also the only aircraft used by both of the USA's flight demonstration teams.[18] The USAF Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the USN Blue Angels (F-4J) both switched to the Phantom for the 1969 season; the Thunderbirds flew it for five seasons,[19] the Blue Angels for six.[20] The baseline performance of a Mach 2-class fighter with long range and a bomber-sized payload would be the template for the next generation of large and light/middle-weight fighters optimized for daylight air combat. The Phantom would be replaced by the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon in the U.S. Air Force. In the U.S. Navy, it would be replaced by the F-14 Tomcat and the F/A-18 Hornet which revived the concept of a dual-role attack fighter.[21]
