Rear Admiral George Henry Strohsahl, Jr. (May 24, 1937 - May 22, 2011) was a highly-decorated Navy strike fighter and test pilot who flew missions in Vietnam. He portrayed the USS Nimitz's Air Bo ...Show More
Rear Admiral George Henry Strohsahl, Jr. (May 24, 1937 - May 22, 2011) was a highly-decorated Navy strike fighter and test pilot who flew missions in Vietnam. He portrayed the USS Nimitz's Air Boss, a position he actually held, in the 1980 film The Final Countdown starring Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen.Spending 35 years in the Navy, Strohsahl distinguished himself as an outstanding fighter and test pilot. A 1959 honors graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he flew in the Vietnam conflict and commanded A-4 and A-6 squadrons from both Atlantic and Pacific fleets. He made more than 500 arrested landings on 11 different aircraft carriers, and at one point, he was the air officer aboard the USS Nimitz (CVN-68). He amassed more than 4,300 flight hours during his Navy career.He flew both the A-6 and the F/A-18 Hornet in a variety of test projects and initiated development of a night attack version of the Hornet.In his first flag assignment as program director of Tactical Aircraft Programs for Naval Air Systems Command, Strohsahl coordinated the management of all Navy tactical aircraft programs. As the program manager of the F/A-18 Naval Strike Fighter, Strohsahl was responsible for managing the acquisition and initial support of 1,377 strike fighters valued at more than $40 billion, the largest nonstrategic procurement program in the Navy. He was also responsible for procuring F/A-18 aircraft for the air forces of Australia and Spain, and he supported the Canadian F/A-18 procurement program.He spent two years as commander of Pacific Missile Test Center at Point Mugu, California, before returning to Naval Air Systems Command, where he served as vice commander. He assumed command of the Naval Air Warfare Center in January 1992.After retiring from active duty in 1994, Strohsahl was executive manager of the Joint Strike Fighter Program for Boeing in Seattle before returning to Ventura County. In his retirement, a key proponent of Naval Base Ventura County who is credited with saving thousands of jobs at Point Mugu during the second round of base realignments and closures in 2005. He died of cancer in 2011. Hide
