Jen Uchida Manager Flight Test Engineering AeroTEC

Jen Uchida graduated from the University of Colorado in 2005 with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in aerospace engineering. Following graduation, she accepted a position with the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) as a civilian flight test engineer for the Marine Corps in Patuxent River, MD. 

There she supported the experimental flight testing of the V-22 Osprey, deploying several new and lifesaving capabilities to the fleet and logging over 100 flight hours of special crew time. In 2011 she had the opportunity to attend the US Naval Test Pilot School, a rare and prestigious opportunity for a civilian. There she learned how to relate real-world mission requirements to her work as a flight test engineer and logged 100 flight hours of crew time over 16 different types of military aircraft. In 2012, Jen applied to NASA’s astronaut program and was one of the top 50 candidates for selection in 2013. 

Following her time with NAVAIR, she spent a winter in Big Sky, MT as a ski instructor before heading to Gulfstream Aerospace to help lead the experimental test efforts for FAA type certification on the new G500 and G600 programs. Jen is now the Test Engineering Manager at AeroTEC (Aerospace Test, Engineering, & Certification) where she oversees and directs the work of Flight Test Engineers, Flight Test Instrumentation Engineers, and Test Pilots on various customer projects.