Please join us in congratulating Dr. Greg Magone! AIAA has named the Boeing flight test instrumentation engineer to its Class of 2027 Associate Fellows, one of just 128 members to earn the honor this year.
For outstanding contributions to flight test through advancement of instrumentation operations.
Greg’s AIAA Associate Fellow citation
~20
years at Boeing
5
degrees, from a B.S. in 2003 to a Ph.D. in 2025
128
members named to the Class of 2027
From fasteners to flight test
Greg didn’t start out in flight test. He joined Boeing as a fasteners and bearings engineer, until a Boeing News Now story about a former flight test engineer caught his eye. His first thought: “If you become a flight test engineer, why would you ever leave?”
Then fate took the seat next to him on a shuttle bus. His seatmate mentioned that flight test was “hiring like crazy.” Greg applied through Boeing’s internal careers site, landed a flight test engineering job, and was placed in instrumentation. “Becoming an instrumentation engineer was coincidence – that is where management placed me – but turns out to be the right place,” he says.
The data behind every test flight
Every test flight is a chance to prove how a new airplane really performs, and that proof is only as good as the data behind it. Flight test instrumentation engineers make that data possible. They specify, install, calibrate and operate the sensors and data acquisition systems that record what the airplane is doing, so engineers can verify its performance and systems and support certification.
From October 2022 to August 2026, Greg led Instrumentation Operations as Lead Flight Test Engineer, heading a team of nine. Since August he has served as a Subject Matter Expert and Technical Lead Engineer, and this month he took on a new role as Fleet Instrumentation Refurbishment Focal for the KC-46A Pegasus tanker program.
His favorite airplane wore orange
Ask Greg about his favorite project and he goes straight to the first 747-8 Intercontinental. On March 20, 2011, the new jumbo jet lifted off from Paine Field in Everett for a first flight of 4 hours and 25 minutes, wearing a striking red-orange “Sunrise” livery instead of Boeing’s usual blue.
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It was my first flight test airplane and holds a special place in my heart.
Greg Magone
Five degrees and a CubeSat Ph.D.
Greg never stopped learning. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Montana State University (2003), an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington (2011), M.S. degrees in Aerospace Engineering (2021) and Product Development Engineering (2022) from the University of Southern California, and a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from Colorado State University (2025).
His dissertation, “Scalable system architecture for CubeSat test & evaluation for enhanced mission success,” takes on a real problem: university-built CubeSats fail at a high rate. Greg’s research proposes a scalable approach to testing and evaluating them so more missions succeed.
What this honor means
Being named an Associate Fellow means that the professional work that I have done for my career is worthy of formal recognition externally to Boeing, and this makes me proud of my career.
Greg Magone
It’s a rare distinction. AIAA reserves the Associate Fellow grade for members who have “accomplished or been in charge of important engineering or scientific work.” Nominees must be Senior Members with at least 12 years of professional experience, recommended by three AIAA members, and AIAA can elect no more than one Associate Fellow for every 150 voting members.
- National recognition. AIAA announced the Class of 2027 on Sept. 21, 2026.
- An induction to remember. Greg and his classmates will be inducted at the Associate Fellows Induction Ceremony and Dinner on Jan. 13, 2027, during AIAA SciTech Forum in Orlando.
- The path to Fellow. Only Associate Fellows can be nominated for AIAA Fellow, the Institute’s next grade.
Greg joins a proud PNW tradition: our section counts 118 Associate Fellows among its 1,096 members. Fellow PNW member Ola Fasehun of Boeing was also named to the Class of 2027. Watch for her spotlight next month!
Why AIAA matters to Greg
There are a lot of smart and skilled aerospace engineers in the AIAA, and being part of the ecosystem motivates me to do my engineering work better than I would otherwise.
Greg Magone
We’re proud to count Greg among them. The PNW Section will celebrate him in person at our Technical Symposium this spring. See highlights from last year’s symposium.
Greg’s advice: master Excel
His top tip for early-career engineers is refreshingly practical: “learn Excel and know how to use the advanced features well.” As Greg puts it, “Excel has been a universal tool in engineering, and knowing how to use Excel has been foundational to my engineering career.”
Congratulations, Greg! Your PNW AIAA community is proud of you.
Know a member we should feature? Email communications@pnwaiaa.org.