DAVID ELLIS MCCOLLUM

MCCOLLUM, DAVID ELLIS David Ellis McCollum, age 47, of Savannah, GA, a Flight Test Engineer at Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., died in a test flight crash on April 2nd in Roswell, NM. A native of Highland, MD, David attended Atholoton High School in Columbia, MD and graduated from Marion Military Institute (Marion, AL) high school in 1981, and junior college in 1983. He earned his BS degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics from Georgia Tech in 1988. David was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves in 1983. During the Gulf War he trained as a helicopter pilot at Fort Rucker, AL, finishing first in his class. He flew Chinooks while on active duty, reaching the rank of Major. He worked as a flight test engineer for Lockheed Martin in Marietta, GA, and Douglas Aircraft at Patuxent Naval Station, MD and at Long Beach, CA, before pursuing his dream of becoming a professional pilot. He flew as a pilot for Atlantic Southeast Airline for seven years before joining Gulfstream in Dallas, TX as a test pilot. David was an avid pilot and had volunteered for years at the Army Aviation Heritage Museum in Hampton, Georgia. He was an enthusiastic collector and restorer of classic cars and enjoyed hang gliding, sailing, playing guitar, and woodworking. Survivors include his parents, Offa Shivers "Mac" and Nancy McCollum of Highland, MD; his siblings, Offa Shivers McCollum, III (June) of Marietta, GA, Eugene W. McCollum (Kathy) of Millersville, MD, and N. Carolyn McCollum of Annapolis, MD; and his nephews, Will and Christopher McCollum. A memorial service will be held in the Marion Military Institute Chapel at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 9th. IN lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to either the MMI Foundation (www.marionmilitary.edu) or the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation (www.armyav.org). Kirk Funeral Homes, Marion Alabama will be directing.