James Franklin Miller

At an early age Jim Miller developed an interest in Hawaiian music. He learned to play the Hawaiian guitar and later the Pedal Steel Guitar. He played music for a living in and around Washington, D.C. area for more than 3 years. He performed in several shows with Jimmy Dean and other top recording artists during the early 1950's.

Jim received his draft notice to enter the U.S. Army but elected to join the U.S. Air Force where he served for 4 years (1953-1957). He spent 3 of the 4 years in France, where he trained in the field of Air Operations and spent time working in a French Control Tower to control U.S. Aircraft. During this time, he was joined there by his wife, Peggy.

After discharge from the U.S. Air Force, Jim went to work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an Air Traffic Controller at Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. While with the FAA, he worked at the Miami Tower as a Controller, at the Hagerstown Tower as manager of the facility, at the Eastern Region Headquarters as a staff specialist, and at the Andrews Tower at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland as assistant manager of this facility.

After retiring from the FAA, Jim spent one year in retirement and went to work in the private sector for almost 10 years in support of the FAA's Advanced Automation System (AAS) development program. The last 3 of the 10 years, Jim established his own consulting company (ATC Consulting Services) developing simulations for the FAA to test the new AAS equipment. He developed simulation software, Dynamic Air Traffic Simulation (DATS), a program used at the FAA's Technical Center in Atlantic City, NJ. The software generated simulations using real time data extraction from recordings from Air Traffic Control Centers in the U.S.

Jim loved the game of golf and was a 2-time Club Champion at Penn National Golf Course in Fayetteville, Pennsylvania.

In addition to his wife, Peggy M. Miller, he is survived by four children, James F. Miller Jr., Byron L. Miller, Debra M. Cline, and Teresa M. Donnell. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

A visitation for James will be held Sunday, October 13, 2019 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Hillsboro Memorial Funeral Home, 2323 West Brandon Blvd, Brandon, FL 33511. A funeral service will occur Monday, October 14, 2019 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 2323 West Brandon Blvd, Brandon, FL 33511.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in James' memory may be made to Parkinson's Foundation, www.parkinson.org.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.HillsboroMemorial.com for the Miller family.