Aviation Weekend

Tony Antonelli, a retired U.S. Navy captain and NASA astronaut, has logged over 3,200 flight hours across 41 different aircraft and completed 273 carrier landings. Selected by NASA as an astronaut in 2000, he flew two space missions, serving as pilot both times: STS-119 Discovery in March 2009 and STS-132 Atlantis in May 2010, spending a total of just over 24 days in space. 

Chris Ferguson, a retired U.S. Navy captain and NASA astronaut, flew three missions to space, spending over 40 days in orbit. He piloted his first mission, STS-115 Atlantis in 2006, then commanded STS-126 Endeavour in 2008. His final and most historic flight came in 2011, when he led STS-135—the last mission of the Space Shuttle Program — aboard Atlantis. During that 13-day mission, Captain Ferguson and his crew delivered nearly 10,000 pounds of supplies and equipment to the International Space Station. In addition to his flight experience, he also served as deputy chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. 

For over two decades, Kingery served in the United States Marine Corps as a FA-18 pilot, lead flight instructor, avionics technician, and acquisition specialist. His service included multiple deployments in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, during which he earned nine Strike/Flight Air Medals, completed 695 combat flight hours, flew 175 combat missions, and executed 165 carrier landings. Following his military retirement in 2014, Kingery transitioned into civilian aerospace leadership as a Supervisory Research Pilot and the Chief of Aviation Safety for the Flight Operations Directorate at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. He flight instructed astronauts in the T38N jet trainer and flew airborne science missions across the world. Following his retirement from NASA in February 2025, he became a 737 pilot at United Airlines. He has logged over 4,500 flight hours across more than 25 aircraft types and is finishing his PhD in Systems Engineering.

Rick, a former US Navy pilot, is the President and CEO of Starfighters. After leaving the Navy, he served as a Captain at Continental Airlines (now United), where he flew the B727, MD80, B757, and B767. Shortly after starting with Continental, Rick purchased an F-104 and began flying at air shows. He then acquired a fleet of jets for a three-aircraft Starfighters Demonstration team. Ultimately, he envisioned this F-104 fleet as the core asset of a small, fast- reacting aerospace company for a wide range of missions. 

Greg “Boss” Wooldridge is a 27-year Naval Aviation veteran with 8,300 flight hours—more than anyone in the Navy at the time of his retirement. He uniquely led the Navy’s Blue Angels three times, including the only team to perform an airshow over Moscow. After his second tour as flight leader, he commanded Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, earning the President’s Installation of Excellence Award for best base in the Navy. He delayed retirement to lead a struggling Blue Angels team, guiding them through a celebrated 50th Anniversary season. Furthermore, he was instrumental in advancing aviation safety by introducing a debrief protocol unique to the Blue Angels.