James was the first of nine children born to Mr. & Mrs. Charles L. Miller (Mary Foster) of McDonough, Georgia on March 29, 1951. He spent my early childhood in Atlanta and Hampton, Georgia (on the farm with his grandparents; his best years). His primary school was Hampton Rosenwald Elementary in Hampton, Georgia and He graduated from West Side High in McDonough, Georgia. He was very active in the school band, science, and math club. As the first in my family to attend college, in the fall of 1968, He attended Tennessee State University with a major in Microbiology/Pre-Med. My first two years at TSU were very rewarding as a young man away from home for the first time. Having drawn a low lottery number, He took a leave from school to serve my country. After three years in the Army as a technician and a tour of duty in South Vietnam, He returned to Atlanta and enrolled at Georgia State University. After two semesters at Georgia State University, PTSD set in, and I withdrew from college and began to work as a ZMT operator with the United States Postal Service in Atlanta, Georgia. Other career opportunities included building lawn tractors and manufacturing batteries.

After soul searching, James settled on avionics as a career (TO EARN MY POT OF GOLD). In the fall of 1975, James gave all my worldly possessions to family and friends, and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma. For the next three years, he was a student at Spartan School of Aviation where he honed my skills in avionics, Aircraft Instruments, Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), and Airframe Maintenance. With three degrees under my belt, James moved to Victoria, Texas and worked for Piper Dealer Flight School as an Avionics Technician, where he was able to soak up all aspects of running a small business and aviation. In March 1980 open the first Black-owned avionics business in the United States in Bay City, Texas.. Without the guidance of role models, his dream to start my own business was a difficult road to travel but he survived through prayer and help from family and friends.

Some of his greatest accomplishments have come from starting and funding several mentoring programs in Bay City, Houston, and Atlanta while also fostering underprivileged adolescents into the aviation field. Additionally, he has sponsored several NASA astronauts in support of career day for Atlanta Public Schools. He served as the first president of Spartan Avionics Advisor board, as a board member on the Texas State Technical College (TSTC) advisory board for Avionics, and as a board member on Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA).

James has been a member of the Black Pilots of America from 1997 to 2024, membership #97-063. his has attended 26 BPA Board Meetings, 26 BPA Membership Meetings, and 27 Operation Skyhook Fly-Ins. He has held the position as BEFC Houston Regional Chairman from 2000 to 2024; Skyhook Event Committee from 2005 to 2024; Slapdown Planning Committee from 2006 to 2015; Program Planning Committee in 2013; Scoring Program Committee from 2014 to 2024; and Scoring Committee from 2015 to 2024. James has consistently volunteered at Operation Skyhook events: Operation Skyhook Entertainment from 1997 to 2024, Spot Landing Judge from 2005 to 2024, Balloon Burst Judge from 2010 to 2024; assisted with the pilot seminar at Grider Field in 2013 while also conveying FAA’s new radio rules; Flour Bomb Judge from 2018 to 2022; and served as Stand-In Operations Officer for Al Daniel in 2019. James has planned many of the trips following the conclusion of the BOD and Membership meetings to the Caribbean. For the past 44 years, James is the president and sole owner-operator of Brazos Avionics, Inc.

My FAA Rating are:
• FAA REPAIRMAN Certificate Number: 2360656
• FAA REPAIRMAN STATION License Number: XS1R623K