Brian graduated from East Carolina University in 1970 with a degree in History and Anthropology. He went on to become an Air Force fighter pilot for the next twenty years. During the Viet Nam War he flew 212 missions before his aircraft was shot down. Forced to ride his plane into the jungle, he was severely burned in the ensuing crash, and given up for dead. Eventually rescued, Brian endured one year in military hospitals where he underwent 15 surgical procedures and was told he would never fly again.

After much physical therapy, Brian miraculously returned to active duty flying fighter jet aircraft. He became an airshow demonstration pilot, was selected for the first A-10 squadron, and instructed at the Air Force's TopGun School. He culminated his Air Force career by flying our nation's Top Secret spy plane, the SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest aircraft ever built. Brian flew covert missions in the Blackbird for 4 years and was the pilot who provided President Reagan with detailed photos of Libyan terrorist camps in 1986.

Retiring from the Air Force in1990, Brian pursued his writing and photography interests. He was the first pilot to write a book about flying the Blackbird, completely illustrated with his own photography. This book won Aviation Book of the Year honors and is today the single most popular book on that plane worldwide.

Brian's remarkable comeback story has inspired audiences nationwide as he is in high demand as a keynote speaker. Brian is a Spirit of Freedom Award winner, a Paul Harris Fellow, and in 2011 was inducted into the Air Force Legends Hall of Fame. He is a sponsor of the Wounded Warrior program and owns Gallery One in California where his nationally acclaimed nature photography is on display.