Robert D. Allen has been employed with UPS as a Flight Qualified Supervisor since January 2015.  Prior to UPS he was employed with American Airlines from April 1999 to January 2015 where he had served as a line first officer on MD80, B737, and B757/767 aircraft. 

Robert grew up in Central Illinois where, beginning at an early age, he worked at his father’s grain elevator and his uncle’s farm until graduating from high school.  He began taking flight lessons at the age of 15, obtained his pilot license at 16, and his commercial flight certificate at the age of 20.  He began his career as a pilot initially flight instructing and later flying night cargo and express mail while an undergraduate in college. 

After completing college he left commercial aviation to serve in the U.S. military as both a Navy and Air Force pilot.  First serving in active status with the U.S. Navy, he was carrier and mission qualified in all variants of the F-14, completing 3 operational deployments.  He was selected to attend both the U.S. Navy’s Fighter Weapons (TOPGUN) School and Test Pilot School and became qualified in the F/A-18.  He accumulated 2000 hours in carrier-based tactical jets and 375 carrier arrested landings, 110 of which were at night. 

He left active status to return to commercial aviation in 1999 but continued serving in the U.S. military in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard where we would become fully mission qualified in the F-16 and complete three additional operational deployments, including two combat tours in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.  Robert commanded the 170^th Fighter Squadron before taking assignment to USTRANSCOM Headquarters in 2004 where he served until 2012 when he retired from military service. 

In education, Robert has a bachelor’s degree in aviation, a master’s degree in aviation safety, an executive master’s degree in business administration, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Aviation.  He is also a graduate of NATO Staff Officer School, USAF Air Command and Staff College and Air War College.  Robert is married and resides in Defiance, MO with his wife Cynthia.