OPERATIONS AWARD – Andrew Thurling, AeroVironment
Mr. Andrew J. “Andy” Thurling is currently Chief Test Pilot for the development of a revolutionary hydrogen-powered unmanned aircraft, the Global Observer, at AeroVironment in Simi Valley, California. He graduated from MIT and was commissioned as an Air Force officer in June 1987. Over the next decade, Mr. Thurling served in various positions as a fighter pilot including Chief of Programming and Flight Commander. Mr. Thurling is a Distinguished Graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School (TPS) and of the Air Force Institute of Technology. He has over 2300 hours of flight time in more than 35 types of aircraft.
Andy has held several positions as a test pilot including Chief of Test and Evaluation in the F-22 Program Office and as an instructor at TPS. His career in the Air Force culminated as Commander of the 452d Flight Test Squadron and Director of the Global Vigilance Combined Test Force, a unit responsible for the flight test of the nation’s newest unmanned aircraft including the Global Hawk, Predator, and X-47 Navy UAS aircraft. At AeroVironment, Mr. Thurling has been responsible for all phases of Global Observer testing from strategic test concept development to acting as initial cadre instructor pilot.