Volunteer Spotlight - Jim Stillinger

Volunteer Spotlight: Jim Stillinger

Fun Facts

Dream Car – Anything that breathes serious fire!

First Car – 1947 Ford 4-door sedan

Family – Phyllis Hicks and son Jeff

Nickname: Yosemite

We frequently tout the skills and experience of B.R.A.K.E.S. driving instructors, who hail from racing, law enforcement and even the world of stunt driving in major motion pictures. But volunteer Jim Stillinger’s background is the stuff of legend.

Thanks to his quiet demeanor and easy smile, you’d never know it, but before Jim kicked cones at B.R.A.K.E.S., he served 14 years in the United States Navy, much of that time in the cockpit of an F-4 Phantom fighter jet. And Jim was no average naval aviator; he was among the best. He worked closely with the Navy’s fabled Top Gun fighter tactics school in Miramar, California, contributing to the Top Gun curriculum as the flight leader of a combat mission that definitively validated a particular tactic taught at the school.

It wasn’t exactly the Top Gun Trophy, but Jim was honored in 2014 as B.R.A.K.E.S.’ West Coast Volunteer of the Year, and he continues to serve with distinction, donating his time to two hospitals as well as B.R.A.K.E.S.

You can be our wingman anytime, Jim. Thank you!!