Please welcome our Grand Marshalls for 2024
You will be able to meet our Grand Marshalls in the STEM Pavilion both days of the airshow.
Thomas A Morgenfeld
A 1965 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and designated a Naval Aviator in 1967.
US NAVY
- Two combat tours F-8 Crusader (90 combat missions and 500+ carrier landings)
- USN Postgraduate School – MS in Aeronautical Engineering
- Empire Test Pilot School in England
- VX-4 (Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 4)
- FA-18 Project Pilot
- MiG Exploitation Eval with USAF
- CAPTAIN USN Retired
Lockheed Skunk Works
- F-117 Flight Test and Development
- FY-22A Prototype and follow-on
- Chief Test Pilot and Director of Flight Operations
- First Flight of X-35 (flight tested all 3 Versions)
National Test Pilot School
- Test Pilot Instructor
- Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Society of Experimental Test Pilots
- Fellow and Past President
- Received SETP’s Iven C. Kincheloe Award for excellence in flight testing
Kurt Schroeder
A 1961 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Naval ROTC and was designated a Naval Aviator in 1963.
US NAVY
- F-8 Crusader and F-4B Phantom Operational Cruises
- USN Test Pilot School Patuxent River, MC
- Naval Air Test Center (Carrier Suitability Branch, Flight Test Division)
- Carrier Suitability F-4K Phantom II British Navy low speed catapult launches
- Carrier Suitability F-8J and F-4 upgrades
- Participating Pilot for F-4 and A-7 Automatic Carrier Landing System including coupled approaches to touchdown
- CAPTAIN USN Retired
Grumman Aerospace Corporation
- F-14 Carrier Suitability Structural demonstration
- F-14D departure/spin recovery Project Pilot
- F-14A/B/D and A-6E Weapons Systems and envelope expansion
- X-29 Technology Demonstrator Pilot
- Development and Initial Flight Test of A-6F and advanced EA-6B
- Chief Test Pilot, Director of Flight Operations, and Director of Test and Evaluation
Society of Experimental Test Pilots
- Fellow and Past President
Roy Martin
A graduate Parks College of St. Louis University and Masters Aero/Astro Engineering, Stanford University. Roy entered the US Air Force via ROTC, and received his USAF Pilot wings in August 1969.
US Air Force
- F-4 Phantom (200 combat missions)
- Operational Tours in F-4, F-5 and C-141
- USAF Test Pilot School – Distinguished Graduate
- Military Test
- E-3A AWACS
- F-5 Spin Tests
- Air Launch Cruise Missile Development
- Space Shuttle Handling Qualities
- Have Idea Special Projects
- Retired Colonel, USAF
Northrop Grumman Engineering Test Pilot
- F-5
- F-20
- YF-23
- QF-86
- Firebird Optionally piloted aircraft
- X-47A and B and TSSAM Unmanned Vehicle Operator and Design
- Chief Test Pilot
USAF Test Pilot School
- USAF Test Pilot Instructor both Active Duty and as civilian Contractor (Flying Qualities)
- 26 TPS classes received academic and flight training from Colonel Martin
Society of Experimental Test Pilots
- Fellow and Past President
Kevin “Smells” Gross
A graduate of San Jose State University (BS in Aeronautics), and Commissioned into the Marine Corps in 1985, designated a Naval Aviator in 1988.
- AV-8B with 1500 hours and 44 Combat Missions (Desert Shield/Desert Storm)
- Naval Test Pilot School Class 108 Patuxent River, MD
- V-22 OSPREY Integrated Test Team
- Early Engineering Manufacturing and Development testing, envelope expansion, airplane, conversion, and VTOL modes
- V-22 Instructor Pilot to Operational Test and Evaluation (OPEVAL) test teams
- Qualified in helicopter, tilt-rotor, and tactical jet (both AV-8B and FA-18)
- Government’s Chief Test Pilot when V-22 returned to Developmental Flight Test following an 18-month grounding and redesign
- Completed OSPREY vortex ring state testing with redesigned flight control laws so the V-22 could return to USMC OPEVAL
- Command of Marines and test pilots at China Lake, CA
- Served as Senior Military Advisor, Director Operational Test and Evaluation, Pentagon
- Retired Colonel USMC
Society of Experimental Test Pilots
- Associate Fellow
Check out the links below for more information: