Richard B. Chaffin

Chaffin, Richard “Dick” Bratten, 83, an aerodynamicist for Boeing for more than three decades and an accomplished woodworker in retirement, died Sept. 5, 2012 at his home. Mr. Chaffin, born in Lawrence, majored in electrical engineering at the University of Kansas, where he met his future wife, Wilma Kuhn. After serving as a lieutenant in the Army and obtaining his degree, he joined the aerospace industry, moving to Wichita several years later in the late ‘50’s to work for Boeing. Mr. Chaffin specialized in aircraft stability. While his five children were growing up, he often worked on top-secret projects that kept him away from home for weeks. His proudest moment came when he was an onboard engineer in test flights for the modified KC-135, the U.S. Air Force’s first jet-powered refueling tanker. He lost 30 pounds and completed flight crew training to qualify for the flights. Always an exacting man, Mr. Chaffin became passionate about woodworking in retirement, producing toys for his grandsons as well as furniture. He also was an avid cyclist, riding 20 miles a day, and helped his wife tend extensive gardens at a home they had custom built in 1998. A liberal, he followed politics fervently. Mr. Chaffin was preceded in death by his wife. He is survived by a sister, Beverly Jameson, of San Antonio, Texas; five children – Tom Chaffin of Olathe; Emily Ximinez of Wichita; Jerry Chaffin of Redondo Beach, CA; Bruce (Jana) Chaffin of Philadelphia; and Margi (Rick) Ehresman of Wichita; and six grandsons. No services are scheduled. Donations in his memory can be made to Wichita’s NPR station, KMUW, 3317 E. 17th St. N., Wichita, KS 67208.