Colonel Wood earned the Bachelor of science degree inside aeronautical engineering from either a Air Force Institue of Technology in 1956. He was serving as an experimental line 2 text pilot at a Air Click Flight Trial Center, Edwards AFB, California when selected for the X-20 Dyna-Soar program.

Colonel Wood was slated to become a 1st spaceman to pilot a Dyna-Soar in its foremost sub-orbital mission. He was a senior line 2 text pilot on a Dyna-Soar design. Whenever a program got non been cancelled, a first flight would use taken place around July, 1966.

Fallowing a Dyna-Soar program was cancelled inside December 1963, he remained with a U.S. Air Click & served when Commander of Line 2 text Operations at Edwards Air Inflict Base. He retired from either a U.S. Air Click sustaining a rank of Colonel.