James 'JB' E. Brown III 1954-

James Brown III was born in 1954 and grew up in Birmingham,Alabama. His interest in flying developed with help from his father, who was an amateur pilot. The young man dreamed of one day becoming an astronaut. He attended the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington,Virginia and graduated in 1976 with a Bachelor's Degree in Civil engineering. Brown's first solo flight occurred in February 1976.

After graduating from VMI, Brown was commissioned as a 2nd Lt in the United States Air Force. He entered the Undergraduate Pilot Training program in 1977 and earned his wings the following year. Brown's first operational tour began in 1979 with the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany where he flew the F-4 Phantom II. On his next tour, Brown flew the F-5E Tiger II with the 527th Aggressor Squadron at RAF Alconbury in England.

He is the chief test pilot for the F-22 Raptor program and is stationed at Edwards AFB in California where he performs activities including avionics testing, flight envelope expansion, and the creation of procedural flight manuals for the Air Force. Previously, he was the chief test pilot for the F-117 Nighthawk. Brown is a Fellow and past president of SETP and is a Fellow of the RAes.