[citation needed] He moved frequently as a son of an active-duty member of the United States Air Force, spending parts of his childhood in California and England.
[2] Burlingame graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1971.
[3] In the Navy, upon receiving his naval aviator wings, he flew F-4 Phantom jets in Fighter Squadron 103 (VF-103) on board USS Saratoga.
He was an honor graduate of the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) at NAS Miramar, California.
[7] Burlingame was the captain of American Airlines Flight 77, with First Officer David Charlebois, when it was hijacked and flown into the Pentagon.