Col. Randel Gordon, the 412th Test Wing vice commander, conducted his “fini-flight” May 18, 2022, at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

His wife, Tiffany, was on hand to marshal in his F-16D, while his friends and colleagues properly congratulated him by spraying him down.

Thank you for your service to Edwards.

Gordon, a Poughkeepsie, N.Y.,-native, became the vice commander in July 2020. He is a 1998 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, and a 2006 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards.

Prior to becoming vice commander of the 412th TW, he was the initial cadre director for the Secretary of the Air Force’s Artificial Intelligence Accelerator with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also served as initial cadre for the Secretary of the Air Force’s AFWERX technology innovation team with private sector business and academia. Gordon is a Presidential Fellow, Harvard Business School Alumnus, Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency Fellow, MIT Fellow, and holds a doctorate from the U.S. Air Force’s School of Advanced Air and Space Studies.

He served the F-22 Combined Test Force as its commander and has additional flight test pilot experience in the F-15C/E, A-10A/C, F-16A/C, Bombardier BD-700 Global Express business jet, and 70 other military and civilian aircraft.