Honoring Veterans: Air Force Veteran Bob Felts

Robert “Bob” Felts was born in Montgomery, Alabama, in August 1939. After school, he attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he boxed, played rugby, and held positions as an honor representative and squadron commander. He graduated in 1962—the fourth graduating class at the Academy and the first to be deemed the “Red Tag Bastards.”

Felts attended pilot training at Craig Air Force Base, Alabama, followed by KC-135A training. His first base was Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, in 1964, followed by a move to Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire, in 1966, where he served four years as copilot and aircraft commander, logging over 800 combat hours during various TDYs in Vietnam.

In 1970, Felts became one of the first tanker pilots to fly the FB-111A. In 1975, he received an Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) assignment to Louisiana Tech University for an MBA in Computer Applications.

After graduating, Felts served as chief, Computer Weapons Systems Division at HQ Tactical Air Command, at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. He later supervised the F-15 Air Combat Maneuver Instrumentation (ACMI) combat simulator and was chief, Ops Plans Division for the 1st Fighter Wing, also at Langley.

In 1980, Felts completed air refueling training and served in air mobility at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, as chief, Aircrew Scheduling Division. There, he flew more than 3,200 hours and on over 250 alert tours.

Felts retired in 1982, relocating with his family to Sacramento, California. Post-retirement, he worked at McClellan AFB, in Sacramento, on the FB-111A Avionics Modernization Program. He also worked with computers at Sacramento’s American River College, and spent several years as business manager for his wife Margaret’s environmental company.

He hung up his “work hat” in 1998, spending his time jogging, riding his bicycle, driving fast, and sailing his boat, Misty, in the San Francisco Bay.

Bob Felts died peacefully at his home in Colorado on July 31, 2025, just hours before his 86th birthday. He will be interred at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

We honor his service.