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United States Air Force UNITED STATES AIR FORCE LIEUTENANT COLONEL EDWARD H. LINCH III Lt Col Edward "Ned" H. Linch III is the Chief of Flight Safety for Twelfth Air Force and Air Forces Southern, Davis- Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The flight safety office provides mishap prevention inputs, manages mishap investigations, schedules formal safety training, and conducts unit staff assistance visits to monitor and ensure quality and safety program standards are met. Twelfth Air Force comprises of seven active-duty wings and three direct reporting units in the western and mid-western United States. The fighter and bomber wings possess 690 aircraft and more than 51,800 active-duty military and civilian personnel. In addition, he manages flight safety programs for Air Forces Southern, the air component of Southern Command, with assets at six cooperative security locations in Central and South America. Lt Col Linch earned his commission as a Distinguished Graduate from Auburn University's AFROTC program in 1985 and entered the Air Force in January 1986, at Mather AFB, CA, as an Undergraduate Navigator Training (UNT) student. Upon graduating with distinction from UNT, Tac Nav, and Lead-In Fighter Training (LIFT), Col Linch was assigned to Mt. Home AFB, ID for F-111 flight training and then to RAF Upper Heyford, UK to fly the “Vark.” He was then selected to attend Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) at Sheppard AFB, TX in 1989. After graduating with distinction, he began training in the F-16 “Viper” at MacDill AFB, FL where he graduated again with distinction. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, he was one of the first F-16 pilots to fly combat air patrols for Homeland Defense and high value airborne assets during OPERATION NOBLE EAGLE. Lt Col. Linch has served in several major combat operations including OPERATIONS IRAQI FREEDOM, OPERATION VIGILANT WARRIOR, and OPERATIONS NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN WATCH, accumulating more than 150 combat hours. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with the Valor device, the USAF Aviation Valor Award and the Lockheed Semper Viper award for leading a harrowing night mission over Iraq helping save the lives of a special operations team surrounded by a numerically superior enemy force. He is a command pilot with over 3,000 flying hours in F-16 and F-111 fighter aircraft. Lt Col Linch is a Delta Air Lines pilot on military leave. He continues to fly the F-16 today with 12th Air Force squadrons. EDUCATION: 1985 Bachelor of science degree in Aviation Management with high honors, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 1985 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL - non-resident 1997 Southern California Safety Institute, Kirkland AFB, NM 1998 Masters Degree in Aeronautical Science, Distinguished Graduate, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 2005 Safety Mishap/Accident Board President Training 2006 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL - non-resident ASSIGNMENTS: 1. January 1986 - December 1986, student navigator, 450th Flight Training Squadron, Mather AFB, CA. 2. January 1987 - September 1987, F-111 upgrade training, 391st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Mt. Home AFB, ID. 3. October 1987 – December 1989, F-111 weapon systems operator, simulator instructor, 55th Tactical Fighter Squadron, RAF Upper Heyford, UK. 4. January 1990 – February 1991, student pilot, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT), 80th Flying Training Wing, Sheppard AFB, TX. 5. March 1991 - April 1992, F-16 squadron pilot, 63rd Fighter Squadron, MacDill AFB, FL. 6. May 1992 – May 1993, F-16 Flight Lead, Chief of Plans, 35th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea. 7. June 1993 – November 1995, F-16 Flight Lead, Chief of Training, 74th Fighter Squadron, Pope AFB, NC. 8. December 1995 – December 1996, F-16 Instructor Pilot, Flight Commander, 80th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea. 9. January 1997 – July 1999, F-16 Instructor Pilot, Chief of Safety, 309th Fighter Squadron, Chief of Flight Safety, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB, AZ. 10. August 1999 – August 2003, F-16 Flight Lead, Chief of Safety, 160th Fighter Squadron, 187th Fighter Wing, Dannelly Field ANGB, Montgomery, AL. 11. September 2003 – July 2006, Chief of Wing Plans, 505th Command and Control Wing, Hurlburt Field, FL. 12. July 2006 – present, F-16 pilot, Chief of Flight Safety, 12th Air Force (AFSOUTH), Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ. FLIGHT INFORMATION: Rating: Command pilot Flight hours: 3,000+ Aircraft flown: F-16, F-111, AT-38, T-38 and T-37 AWARDS AND DECORATIONS: Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor device (Heroism) Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters Air Medal with one oak leaf cluster Aerial Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor device and four oak leaf clusters Combat Readiness Medal with four oak leaf clusters Air Force Recognition Ribbon (for Aviation Valor Award) National Defense Service Medal with Star Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Southwest Asia Service Medal with Star Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global War On Terrorism Service Medal Korean Defense Service Medal Air Force Overseas Ribbon-Short with oak leaf cluster Air Force Overseas Ribbon-Long Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon with three oak leaf clusters Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M device Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Pistol) Air Force Training Ribbon OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS 2003 USAF Aviation Valor Award 2003 Lockheed Semper Viper Award 1998 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Distinguished Graduate 1991 Distinguished Graduate, F-16 Fighter Training Unit 1990 Distinguished Graduate, ENJJPT Undergraduate Pilot Training 1987 Distinguished Graduate, F-111 Fighter Training Unit 1986 Distinguished Graduate, Undergraduate Navigator Training 1985 Distinguished Graduate, AFROTC, Auburn University, AL 1985 Auburn University Honor Graduate PUBLICATIONS “Avoiding Close Encounters…Flying safe in MOAs”, Sport Aviation, EAA, Feb 2007 “Don’t Hit Me” Flying Safety, USAF, Dec 2006 “Risking It All”, Torch Magazine, USAF/AETC, July/Aug 2004 ”Anatomy of a Manic Mission”, Torch Magazine, USAF/AETC, July/Aug 2004 “Hidden Military Airways”, Flying Safety, USAF, Aug 2001 “Viper Flyways”, Arizona Flyways, Jul 1999 “Helmet Fires”, Torch Magazine, USAF/AETC, Nov 1998 “Helmet Fires”, Flying Safety, USAF, Jul 1998 EFFECTIVE DATES OF PRMOTION: Second Lieutenant June 7, 1985 First Lieutenant September 13, 1987 Captain September 13, 1989 Major Aug 1, 1997 Lieutenant Colonel Sep 21, 2003 (Current as of Sep 2007) Edward H. "Ned" Linch III, Lt. Colonel, USAF Lt. Col. Ned Linch has had a distinguished career as an active-duty Air Force pilot and has recently taken part in many military operations. He earned his commission as a Distinguished Graduate of Auburn University's AFROTC program in 1985 and entered the Air Force in January 1986, at Mather AFB, CA, as an Undergraduate Navigator Training (UNT) student. Upon graduating with distinction, UNT, Tac Nav, and Lead-In Fighter Training (LIFT), Col Linch was assigned to Mt. Home AFB, ID for F-111 flight training and then to RAF Upper Heyford, UK (F-111). He was then selected to attend Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) at Sheppard AFB, TX in 1989. After graduating with distinction, he began training in the F-16 at MacDill AFB, FL where he again graduated with distinction. His tours include Kunsan AB, Korea, Pope AFB, NC, Luke AFB, AZ, and Dannelly Field ANGB, AL. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, he was one of the first F-16 pilots to fly combat air patrols for homeland defense and high value airborne assets during Operation NOBLE EAGLE. Lt Col. Linch has served in several major combat operations including OPERATIONS IRAQI FREEDOM, OPERATION VIGILANT WARRIOR, and OPERATIONS NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN WATCH, accumulating more than 150 combat hours. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with the Valor device, the USAF Aviation Valor Award and the Lockheed Semper Viper award for leading a harrowing night mission over Iraq helping save the lives of a special operations team surrounded by a numerically superior enemy force. Lt Col. Linch holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management with high honors from Auburn University and a Masters degree in Aeronautical Science, with distinction, from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is currently on active duty, on leave from Delta Air Lines, and a Command Pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours in F-16 and F-111 fighter aircraft. .
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