USAF and Navy Fighter Aircraft

Cliff Tatum's aviation career started 65 years ago when he was a student pilot flying J-3 Piper Cubs from South Florida dirt strips. He currently has six aircraft type ratings and 19,000 flying hours.

In the same month that he graduated college, he entered military pilot training proceeding to fly Air Force fighter and then Navy carrier-based attack aircraft.

Cliff retired as a full colonel with a hand full of unpronouncable security clearances, and numerous combat decorations including the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart.

His full military career included his last assignment as commander and senior DOD official at Douglas Aircraft Company, administering the contracts and buying two Billion dollars worth of air and space equipment.

Once again a civilian his next jobs were as an Alaska Airlines captain, and then as a Gulfstream G-IV business jet captain, flying to destinations in Europe, Russia, South and Central America, as well as the Far and Middle East.

His civic volunteer work to date includes thirty years service volunteering as a Los Angeles County reserve deputy progation officer, and as a Volunteer in Policing for the Redondo Beach Police Department.

Academically, he has a BBA in business administration and an MS in counseling psychology. He is also a graduate of the Executive Education PMD Program, Harvard Graduate School of Business.