John Miller
John Miller grew up in Watsonville, located in an agricultural valley on the central California coast. He first became interested in flying while watching crop-dusting planes operating over the local fields.
After completing high school, he had a strong desire to learn to fly, but the military pilot programs did not appear to be an option, as they would not accept applicants who needed eyeglasses. So, John began working at a local printing shop, to earn money for
flying lessons at the local airport, and eventually became a licensed commercial pilot and flight instructor. He gradually accumulated several hundred hours of flight experience as an instructor and air-taxi pilot in California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
John returned to school in the early 1980s and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Maintenance from San Jose State University in 1987. He then began working for Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Seattle in early 1988, as a maintenance
training instructor. He left Boeing in late 1988 and went to work for United Airlines as an aircraft mechanic, but returned to Boeing in 1991. For the next 5 years he worked as a production planner in Boeing’s Propulsion Systems Division, then transferred to the Company’s Equipment Quality Analysis (EQA) group, where he worked another 5 years as a component failure analyst.
John was laid off by Boeing in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. While on lay off, he returned to school and earned a Washington State teaching certificate (secondary math) from Central Washington University. After working
as a substitute teacher for about a year, he was re-hired by Boeing in the spring of 2005, as a methods/process analyst in the Renton factory.
In 2006 he transferred to Boeing’s Customer Services organization, and worked for 7 years as a technical publications analyst, responding to airline customers’ concerns about the Illustrated Parts Catalogs. In 2013 he transferred back to his former job in the
EQA group, where he worked for another 5 years, finally retiring from Boeing in July of 2018, after 24 years in the Company.
In 2020, John went through training to become a volunteer docent at the Museum of Flight, where he can usually be found on Wednesday mornings, offering explanations to visitors, and answering their questions. His involvement with the Museum has
increased his awareness and appreciation for the many people who have contributed to the development of aviation over the years, including women and people from minority groups, whose stories are less known, but very significant.
John is a licensed Airframe & Powerplant mechanic. He also holds a commercial pilot certificate with single and multiengine airplane ratings, an instrument rating, and a glider rating. He also holds a flight instructor certificate with similar ratings. He has logged over 1700 hours as a pilot in a variety of light airplanes and gliders. Since 2008, he has been a volunteer flight instructor with the Puget Sound Soaring Association.
John has been an aviation enthusiast his whole life. His perception is that the success of this vital industry depends on public policy, which depends on public awareness and understanding. He also believes that flying should be for everyone who has an interest, and that flying can be a great equalizer, because at the controls of a plane, all pilots are subject to the same forces of nature - wind, weather, and the laws of aerodynamics.