|
Biography: Rob Rowe is an aero/propulsion engineer and test pilot with 36 years of experience in flight testing of both military and civil aircraft. He retired from the USAF after 27 years, instructing/evaluating/testing in the A/T-37, B-52, and U-2 aircraft. He was a flight test engineer in the C-17, then spent the rest of his military career as a reservist at the 412th Test Wing as Operations Group Commander. He has vast experience as a Flight Test Safety officer in the 412th TW, Lockheed Martin (LM), Northrop Grumman, and NASA. Rob was hired by LM to be the chief pilot for U-2S flight test and eventually the X-55 aircraft, accomplishing first flights on both. The re-writing of the U-2 aircraft involved avionics, propulsion, air data/autopilot, glass cockpit, electrical and emergency start systems as well as evolved mission systems. The X-55 was a one-of-a-kind materials aircraft with rigorous performance and handling quality evals for FAA certification. With several "type" ratings, he's been caught teaching academics and flight instruction in Cessnas as well as B-52s. Besides multiple Chief Pilot positions, Rob became a FAA Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), CFII, and MEI. Over his career, he accumulated over 10,000 hrs in 114 different aircraft. Rob holds a BSE from USAF Academy, a MSE (under a Guggenheim) in propulsion and control from Princeton University, and MBA from the University of LaVerne. He is a graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School and a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
|