Dave Lovelady completed a distinguished career in the US Navy as a fighter pilot and test pilot.  He commanded an F-14 Tomcat fighter squadron during combat operations in the Middle East, and he went on to command a Carrier Air Wing composed of nine squadrons with 80 aircraft of six different types and 2,000 personnel. He was then Director of Weapons Engineering at the Naval Air Systems Command, where he was responsible for design, research, development, and engineering for all weapons carried on Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, as well as nuclear weapons safety. He had extensive combat experience in Vietnam and the Middle East flying 217 combat missions. He completed his Navy career at the rank of Captain having piloted about 40 different types of aircraft with almost 4,000 flight hours and 899 carrier landings in deployments around the world and two tours of duty as a test pilot.

He spent over 17 years in business in the Washington, DC, area where he managed scientific research in six Federal laboratories and provided executive level management consulting.

Mr. Lovelady obtained a Bachelors degree from the U.S. Naval Academy. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, the Aviation Safety Course at the Naval Postgraduate School, the Post Command Course at the Naval War College, one of the first graduates of the “Top Gun” Fighter Weapons School, an inductee into the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and a former astronaut finalist. His military awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, 12 Air Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals with Combat “V”, the Navy Achievement Medal for work associated with the Iran Hostage situation, the Vietnamese Air Cross of Gallantry with gold star, and numerous unit, campaign, and service awards.