Roll Call Tribute
Jimmie "Jim" Savage '67 August 24, 2021 11:23 AM updated: August 24, 2021 11:50 AM
Jimmie Curtis Savage
November 13, 1944 – July 17, 2021
The date of the live streamed service has been changed. The new date and time will be posted here as soon as the details have been finalized.
Our sons and their families will join me at the Memorial Park Historic Chapel for a private service. After this, our family will walk Jim's ashes to the graveside for a simple graveside ceremony with military honors and interment by our family.
The processional walk and graveside service will be live streamed. We invite you to participate in honoring Jim's memory by sharing this early morning moment with us.
The link for the live stream will be found on Jim's obituary page on the morning of the service. A few details must still be finalized, so please be aware that the link that is there today may change. The correct one will be there on the morning of the service. https://www.facebook.com/MemorialParkOKC/
If you worked with Jim or grew up with him, please share your memories with our family. It would be a real comfort and honor to hear about this special man we knew and loved from your remembered interactions with him. You can add your thoughts below, send to Jim's email, or to our home address.
Jim was born to Curtis and Aline Wright Savage in Wellington, Texas, the youngest of three. The family lived on a farm, bordered by Buck Creek, and one of Jim’s favorite memories was of playing in that creek as a little boy. At age five, he watched his father fly over the farm in a yellow Piper Cub with a spray pilot. That sparked a lifelong love of flying and all things aviation.
In 1951, the family moved to Sudan, a small farming community. It was there, in this town on the plains of Texas, that lifetime friendships were forged. Jim cherished those friendships and enjoyed recalling the special memories of that time in his life.
After High School graduation in 1963, Jim continued his education at Texas A&M University, graduating in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering. He received his Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1970. While at A&M, Jim was a member of the ROTC, graduating with the rank of Second Lieutenant. He then entered the service, serving in Air Defense Artillery School at Ft. Bliss, Texas. He was in the Basic Ready Reserves for twelve years and was Honorably Discharged with the rank of Captain.
In 1965 he married his childhood sweetheart, Kandis Miller, and they enjoyed 55 years together. They had two sons and their greatest joy was seeing their boys become fine men with families of their own.
Christopher Raymond was born in 1969. He married Stephanie Brown and they have five children: Lillian, Gabriel, Sebastian, Isabelle, and Finnian.
Brian Curtis was born in 1973. He married Shawna Marler and they have three children: Braden (wife Kelsey), Bron, and Balle.
Jim is survived by his siblings: sister Hazel Kleimeyer and Jack of Cave Creek, AZ; brother Clifford Dale Savage and wife Judy of San Antonio, TX; and sister Morsalene (Marcy) Altazan and Ken of Baton Rouge, LA.
Jim was preceded in death by his father, Curtis Manchester Savage and his stepmother, Hazel Pierce Savage.
Jim enjoyed a long career, all aviation related. His Civil Service career began at the US Army Air Mobility Research and Development Laboratory in Ft. Eustis, VA. He worked on the Fly-By-Wire Flight Control System of the Heavy Lift Helicopter program. Jim was the Flight Test Engineer on both the Heavy Lift ATC Program and the Fan-in-Fin Program, which put him in the flight test aircraft and in his favorite environment.
In 1976 Jim went to work for the FAA at the Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City. His work centered on navigation systems over the full span of his career, advancing from radio navigation aids on the ground to digital systems. As Division Manager in 1989, he was responsible for the national and international program for development and maintenance of the instrument flight procedures and flight inspection of air navigation facilities and instrument flight procedures for the FAA and the United States Military worldwide.
In 1992, he was selected for the position of Technical Assistance Program Manager, FAA, Brussels, Belgium. Oversight of FAA activities in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East in the areas of Flight Inspection, Flight Procedures Development, Human Factors, Aircraft Accident Investigation, and Systems Engineering were a part of his responsibilities. The integration of Civil Aviation Technical Assistance for the Civil Aviation Assistance Groups located in Spain and Saudi Arabia were another area that he worked on. He assisted the Civil Aviation Authority of Spain and their Air Traffic Service Provider to implement GPS in Spain and to establish parallel GPS only routes between Spain and the Canary Islands. He developed, organized and conducted ICAO Accident Prevention/Investigation and Safety Seminars in Moscow, Cairo, Nairobi, Dakar, and Johannesburg.
Upon return to the USA in 2002, Jim took the position of Senior Flight Safety Officer. In 2003, he became Director of Safety and Quality Assurance, for the Office of Aviation System Standards.
Jim retired from the FAA in 2006 and joined Innovative Solutions International. His last major work concerned simultaneous instrument approaches by multiple aircraft to closely spaced parallel runways, and helicopter steep angle approaches to a Point in Space, using the Global Positioning System, supplemented by the Wide Area Augmentation System. His closely spaced work contributed to the new FAA National Standards that allow aircraft to conduct dual and triple parallel approaches independently of each other to runways separated by as little as 2500 feet centerline to centerline.
Jim was a founding member of the International Committee for Airspace Standards and Calibration (ICASC). He was selected as one of three Honorary Members upon his retirement from the FAA.
He served as a technical advisor to the US members of ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organization, which is a United Nations organization.
He was a member of the FAA National Safety Council and a member of the Air Traffic Organization Technical Operations Safety Management System.
Jim earned certification as an Airline Transport Pilot with type ratings in the North American Sabreliner 40 and 80 models, and the Beechcraft Super King Air used by the FAA for flight inspection. He enjoyed participating as second in command on FAA flight inspection missions.
Jim loved to take his family flying in single engine aircraft and had hoped to take every grandchild up for their first flight. He enjoyed swapping jokes and playing word games with his grandchildren and had a well-deserved reputation for making silly puns. He was a man always willing to help others, and he tried to be a positive example for his sons and grandchildren. He loved wholeheartedly, forgave quickly, and believed the best of everyone. Jim was committed to his family, his friends, and the Lord. He will be greatly missed.
© 2021 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
November 13, 1944 – July 17, 2021
The date of the live streamed service has been changed. The new date and time will be posted here as soon as the details have been finalized.
Our sons and their families will join me at the Memorial Park Historic Chapel for a private service. After this, our family will walk Jim's ashes to the graveside for a simple graveside ceremony with military honors and interment by our family.
The processional walk and graveside service will be live streamed. We invite you to participate in honoring Jim's memory by sharing this early morning moment with us.
The link for the live stream will be found on Jim's obituary page on the morning of the service. A few details must still be finalized, so please be aware that the link that is there today may change. The correct one will be there on the morning of the service. https://www.facebook.com/MemorialParkOKC/
If you worked with Jim or grew up with him, please share your memories with our family. It would be a real comfort and honor to hear about this special man we knew and loved from your remembered interactions with him. You can add your thoughts below, send to Jim's email, or to our home address.
Jim was born to Curtis and Aline Wright Savage in Wellington, Texas, the youngest of three. The family lived on a farm, bordered by Buck Creek, and one of Jim’s favorite memories was of playing in that creek as a little boy. At age five, he watched his father fly over the farm in a yellow Piper Cub with a spray pilot. That sparked a lifelong love of flying and all things aviation.
In 1951, the family moved to Sudan, a small farming community. It was there, in this town on the plains of Texas, that lifetime friendships were forged. Jim cherished those friendships and enjoyed recalling the special memories of that time in his life.
After High School graduation in 1963, Jim continued his education at Texas A&M University, graduating in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering. He received his Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1970. While at A&M, Jim was a member of the ROTC, graduating with the rank of Second Lieutenant. He then entered the service, serving in Air Defense Artillery School at Ft. Bliss, Texas. He was in the Basic Ready Reserves for twelve years and was Honorably Discharged with the rank of Captain.
In 1965 he married his childhood sweetheart, Kandis Miller, and they enjoyed 55 years together. They had two sons and their greatest joy was seeing their boys become fine men with families of their own.
Christopher Raymond was born in 1969. He married Stephanie Brown and they have five children: Lillian, Gabriel, Sebastian, Isabelle, and Finnian.
Brian Curtis was born in 1973. He married Shawna Marler and they have three children: Braden (wife Kelsey), Bron, and Balle.
Jim is survived by his siblings: sister Hazel Kleimeyer and Jack of Cave Creek, AZ; brother Clifford Dale Savage and wife Judy of San Antonio, TX; and sister Morsalene (Marcy) Altazan and Ken of Baton Rouge, LA.
Jim was preceded in death by his father, Curtis Manchester Savage and his stepmother, Hazel Pierce Savage.
Jim enjoyed a long career, all aviation related. His Civil Service career began at the US Army Air Mobility Research and Development Laboratory in Ft. Eustis, VA. He worked on the Fly-By-Wire Flight Control System of the Heavy Lift Helicopter program. Jim was the Flight Test Engineer on both the Heavy Lift ATC Program and the Fan-in-Fin Program, which put him in the flight test aircraft and in his favorite environment.
In 1976 Jim went to work for the FAA at the Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City. His work centered on navigation systems over the full span of his career, advancing from radio navigation aids on the ground to digital systems. As Division Manager in 1989, he was responsible for the national and international program for development and maintenance of the instrument flight procedures and flight inspection of air navigation facilities and instrument flight procedures for the FAA and the United States Military worldwide.
In 1992, he was selected for the position of Technical Assistance Program Manager, FAA, Brussels, Belgium. Oversight of FAA activities in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East in the areas of Flight Inspection, Flight Procedures Development, Human Factors, Aircraft Accident Investigation, and Systems Engineering were a part of his responsibilities. The integration of Civil Aviation Technical Assistance for the Civil Aviation Assistance Groups located in Spain and Saudi Arabia were another area that he worked on. He assisted the Civil Aviation Authority of Spain and their Air Traffic Service Provider to implement GPS in Spain and to establish parallel GPS only routes between Spain and the Canary Islands. He developed, organized and conducted ICAO Accident Prevention/Investigation and Safety Seminars in Moscow, Cairo, Nairobi, Dakar, and Johannesburg.
Upon return to the USA in 2002, Jim took the position of Senior Flight Safety Officer. In 2003, he became Director of Safety and Quality Assurance, for the Office of Aviation System Standards.
Jim retired from the FAA in 2006 and joined Innovative Solutions International. His last major work concerned simultaneous instrument approaches by multiple aircraft to closely spaced parallel runways, and helicopter steep angle approaches to a Point in Space, using the Global Positioning System, supplemented by the Wide Area Augmentation System. His closely spaced work contributed to the new FAA National Standards that allow aircraft to conduct dual and triple parallel approaches independently of each other to runways separated by as little as 2500 feet centerline to centerline.
Jim was a founding member of the International Committee for Airspace Standards and Calibration (ICASC). He was selected as one of three Honorary Members upon his retirement from the FAA.
He served as a technical advisor to the US members of ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organization, which is a United Nations organization.
He was a member of the FAA National Safety Council and a member of the Air Traffic Organization Technical Operations Safety Management System.
Jim earned certification as an Airline Transport Pilot with type ratings in the North American Sabreliner 40 and 80 models, and the Beechcraft Super King Air used by the FAA for flight inspection. He enjoyed participating as second in command on FAA flight inspection missions.
Jim loved to take his family flying in single engine aircraft and had hoped to take every grandchild up for their first flight. He enjoyed swapping jokes and playing word games with his grandchildren and had a well-deserved reputation for making silly puns. He was a man always willing to help others, and he tried to be a positive example for his sons and grandchildren. He loved wholeheartedly, forgave quickly, and believed the best of everyone. Jim was committed to his family, his friends, and the Lord. He will be greatly missed.
© 2021 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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