Bob Stoney

Bob Stoney is consultant test pilot with 49 years of aviation experience.  He retired from the FAA’s Seattle Flight Test branch in 2023, where he served as a test pilot on a variety of aircraft projects, from the Boeing 747-8, KC-46, 737 MAX to the Airbus A350 and A330 NEO, to helicopter and small General Aviation aircraft.  Bob served for 21 years as an FAA Test Pilot, first in Wichita, KS and then Seattle.  Bob served as an assistant Flight Safety Officer in the FAA and participated in several mishap investigations.  Following retirement, the FAA designated him as a fully qualified Designated Engineering Representative (DER) for Parts 23, 25, 27 and 29 (small and large airplanes and helicopters). 

Before joining the FAA, Bob served 23 years as a Naval Officer and Test Pilot, achieving the rank of Captain (O-6) and assignment as the Commanding Officer of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, where he led a squadron consisting of 350 military, civilian and contract personnel, operating 50 aircraft of 13 different types while managing a multi-sourced yearly budget exceeding $35 Million.  Bob’s honors while a Naval Officer include designation as lead P-3 squadron standardization pilot, and selection as Instructor of the Year at the US Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS).  For four years he served as the School’s Safety Officer.

Bob received his Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Iowa State University and a Master’s with distinction from the Naval Postgraduate School in Aerospace Engineering.  He has accumulated over 10,000 flight hours in 197 models and holds FAA Airline Transport Pilot (with 12 type ratings), flight instructor, helicopter, glider and seaplane ratings.  He is a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.

Bob and his wife Anne live on Mercer Island. They have three grown children and Bob enjoys personal flying, boating, travelling and mule riding.

Barbara Gordon
U.S. Naval Test Pilot School
Instructor Pilot / Aviation Safety Officer
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

After a 24-year career in the U.S. Navy, Barbara Gordon transitioned to civil service as the Aviation Safety Officer (ASO) and as an instructor pilot for both the rotary and fixed wing curricula at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS).  She is responsible for the execution of the command Safety Management System and for risk management and test-hazard analysis training and education.  Under her tenure as the USNTPS ASO, the command has earned three Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Aviation Safety Awards.  She is qualified in the UH-60L, UH-72A, and C-12C and is responsible for the Rotary Wing Variable Stability and the Rotary Wing Augmented Flying Qualities curricula.  Barbara has over 20 years of flight test experience with over 5200 hours in over 75 different aircraft.  She was primarily an H-46 and H-60 test pilot and her most recent flight test experience was as project officer and primary test pilot for the USNTPS UH-60L Variable Stability System (VSS) test program and curriculum development.  She graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy (Class of 1989) with a BS in Mathematics and from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (Class 111).   She has a MS in Engineering Management from Florida Tech and is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School’s Aviation Safety Officer Course.  She has attended the Navy’s Crew Resource Management Instructor Course and Operational Risk Management Course, the NTSB Aircraft Accident Investigation Course, and the University of Southern California Aviation Safety and Security Program’s Threat and Error Management Course.  She was the Women in Aerospace 2017 Educator of the Year, the recipient of the 2019 Tony LeVier Flight Test Safety Award, and was the first Navy pilot to be awarded the Army Aviation Broken Wing Award.  She is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP), the 99’s and Whirly Girls. 

Areas of expertise:  Rotary Wing Augmented Flying Qualities, Flight Test Safety, Safety Management Systems, Human Factors, Aircraft Accident Investigation

John Hed

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

(253) 334-6779

Currently a Sr. FTE in the FAA’s Northwest Flight Test Section, located in the Seattle area.  Responsible for certification of civil aircraft and aeronautical products in the Northwest region of the US.  Also assists in accident investigations and continued operational safety issues.  Most recently, the FAA FTE lead on Boeing/USAF 767 Tanker civil certification flight test and the Epic E1000 certification. 

Previous positions:

• FTE at the China Lake Naval Weapons Center testing air-to-air weapons
• FTE with Martin Marietta testing reconnaissance systems.
• FTE with USAF at Edwards AFB testing parachute systems and the B-1B offensive avionics.

Education:

• 1982 – BS Aero, U of Minnesota
• 1986 – MS Mechanical, Cal State Fresno
• 1987 – USAF Test Pilot School, Class 86B, Edwards Air Force Base

Membership affiliations:

• SFTE since ???  (a while!)  Former Seattle Chapter Treasurer

Areas of Expertise: FAA Certification, A/A weapons, Systems