William G. Dilley, Pilot, Engineer, and Founder of The Spectra Sonics Legacy
William G. Dilley was the founder of the well-known Spectra 1964 legacy company, Spectra Sonics. Dilley was an incredibly accomplished engineer and pilot who held a myriad of accomplishments and leadership positions in both fields.
As a pilot, Dilley flew as an officer in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. Dilley was adaptable, and he flew over 150 different types and models of aircraft during his time as a pilot. He was an experienced combat pilot, and did everything from shooting down enemy aircraft, being shot down by enemy ground fire, to bailing out, bellying in, and crashing. Here's a list of Dilley's aviation accomplishments:
- Piloted a 4-engine passenger transport aircraft on scheduled flights throughout the Pacific Ocean, commanded fighter squadrons, and directed fighter operations as a Group Operations, Wing Operations, combined Combat Operations, and numbered Air Force Fighter Operations.
- Worked as an organizing member of the “MINUTEMEN”, an air acrobatic team, flying P-51 type aircraft.
- Planned and participated in the first, and only, F-86 Mass Jet Flight (83 aircraft) to fly the Atlantic Ocean.
- Established instrument approach procedures for jet aircraft, and established many published approaches, both in the U.S. and Europe.
- Commanded the number one, or top-rated, tactical unit in all of the United States Air Forces of Europe, and personally wrote, coordinated, and published the joint air/ground operations manual for the U.S. 12th Air Force and the U.S. Sixth Army.
- Activated air bases both in the United States and Europe to include all operations, communications, and navigational requirements.
- Formally investigated numerous aircraft accidents for the U.S. Air Force Directorate of flight Safety Research.
- Was one of only a few Air Force officers selected to advance the technological capability of the Air Force, by pursuing advanced education of his choice at any institution of his choice.
- Personally landed aircraft in over 5,000 cities of 87 different countries and possessions of the world, and was the holder of various United States and World speed records.
The Advent of Spectra Sonics
In 1964, William G. Dilley founded Spectra Sonics in Ogden, Utah. Dilley specialized in professional audio equipment for recording studios, broadcast (radio and television) performing arts center, motion picture studios, and other such related endeavors. His distribution network grew world-wide. In addition to audio product design and manufacture, Mr. Dilley designed, for license, other non-allied electronic equipment and acted as a consultant to major United States business firms. Here is a list of his engineering accomplishments:
- 1970, Dilley was awarded a fellowship by the Audio Engineering Society, Inc. for advancing the “state of the art” in-audio control console design.
- 1977, designated a Senior Broadcast engineer by the Society of Broadcast Engineers.
- 1977, became the recipient of the University of Colorado Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award, the highest honor the University can bestow upon an alumnus.
- Published over 300 engineering papers and technical articles, and was the holder of 14 United States and foreign patents.
- Chief of Engineering for operational aircraft and related systems within the US Army Air Corps, Chief of Engineering for air munition, and chief of Electronic Engineering for the ballistic missile systems: Thor, Atlas D, Atlas E, Atlas F, Titan I, Titan II, and Minuteman I.
- Conceived and was responsible for the design, acquisition, and operation of the first fully instrumented engineering test facility for a missile system: The Minuteman.
- Singularly responsible for reducing, significantly, the required “count-down” time for missile prior to launch.
- Prepared a multitude of technical and operational studies, and managed a myriad of multi-million dollar programs
- 1994, the College of Engineering of the University of Colorado selected him to receive their Centennial Medal, in recognition of significant career achievement having lasting influence on society and the engineering profession.
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William G. Dilley was identified by the Science and Technology Division of the Library of Congress as being one of the most prominent engineers in the history of the United States. With such an experienced and talented incredible figure behind Spectra 1964, it's no wonder that our preamps, equalizers, and complimiters stand out against the crowd.