News

Date published: January 26, 2022

Katie P. may be new to the National Aerospace Solutions Team, having joined at Arnold Air Force Base just three months ago as a Control Systems Project Engineer for DragonFire. But, she is not new to her field. In fact, she was recently recognized by NAS parent company, Bechtel, as the Bechtel Distinguished Technical Specialist (DTS) for Industrial Control Systems and Cybersecurity.

Very few in the company are selected for this elite title, which is granted in various technical functions of the business. When selected, it signifies that inside and outside the company, you are regarded as an expert in your specific technical area. As a DTS you are available to support colleagues if they have questions and mentor others in that area.

“It was an honor to be recognized as somebody who is knowledgeable and an expert in this field,” Katie said. “Bechtel has a lot of talented individuals in different subject matters, so to be recognized among them is an honor.”

Katie has risen to expert level quickly, having joined Bechtel straight out of college. During her Bechtel career, she has supported numerous high profile projects, which eventually led to her role as Technical Director of the ICS/Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition Lab. She was responsible for setting this lab up – including procuring the equipment, staffing, and developing work processes. She advised projects on the requirements of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Risk Management Framework, Department of Energy, and International Society of Automation cybersecurity standards. While there she was promoted to Manager of Cybersecurity Program Directives. Katie’s DTS designation also took into account her involvement in external committees and organizations related to cybersecurity. In 2020, Katie was named a Founding Fellow for the Control Systems Cyber Security Association International, a global not-for-profit organization with 18,000 members supporting professionals who secure control systems.

Katie was presented with a certificate and lapel pin by the NAS General Manager and senior Engineering managers in early January.

Photo caption: Katie P., second from right, is presented with a certificate recognizing her as a Bechtel Distinguished Technical Specialist for Industrial Control Systems and Cybersecurity. Presenting her certificate, from left, is Engineering Manager Jeff M., General Manager Rich T., and Engineering and Functional Manager Janet R.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. —  

It has been said that nothing worth doing is ever easy.

And things weren’t easy for the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Facility test team assigned to the Aerodynamic and Acoustic Rotoprop Test, or AART. The group was tasked with completing the first-ever urban air mobility rotor acoustic test program at NFAC, which is managed and operated by Arnold Engineering Development Complex and located at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.

Just as the team had gotten its bearings and the maiden test program got rolling, the global coronavirus outbreak escalated. At first, the pandemic prompted significant adjustments in the AART team’s approach. Later, it brought the test to a complete standstill. 

However, the AART team members overcame the challenges they faced and managed to complete the testing in under a year. Their efforts did not go unnoticed and earned them high praise from one of the agencies they worked closely alongside during the program.

Earlier this year, AART team members learned the group was named a recipient of a NASA Group Achievement Award. This certificate is awarded to any combination of government or non-government individuals for an outstanding group accomplishment that has contributed substantially to NASA’s mission. Criteria to be considered for the award includes the quality of results and agency or multi-center level of impact on programs or operations, effective management of cost and schedule, customer satisfaction and success in responding to unforeseen crises.

William Bartow, test director for the AART entry in the AEDC NFAC 40- by 80-foot wind tunnel, said NFAC personnel who were members of the AART team, upon receiving word of the award, reacted with excitement and appreciation for both fellow team members and all who contributed to the test.

“It was a challenging experience during uncertain times,” Bartow said.

According to Dr. William Warmbrodt, NASA chief of the Aeromechanics Branch at NASA Ames who nominated the AART team for the award, the urban air mobility aircraft designs typically have aerodynamic configurations that result in complex aerodynamic and acoustic conditions, such as wing and propeller interaction. Multiple UAM aircraft designed and flown contain propellers or rotors that ingest aerodynamic turbulence from upstream bodies.

“In response, the Aerodynamic and Acoustic Rotoprop Test Program was implemented, a primary objective of which was to determine the aerodynamics and acoustics related to an auxiliary propulsor mounted behind an isolated wing in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex 40- by 80-foot wind tunnel,” Warmbrodt wrote in his nomination.

The AART in the 40- by 80-foot wind tunnel was a follow-up to a 2018 test program overseen by the Army in its 7- by 10-foot wind tunnel, also located at NASA Ames. The 7- by 10-foot wind tunnel was staffed with Army personnel to support the initial efforts of the program, and NFAC personnel took the reins once it migrated to the 40- by 80-foot tunnel.

The 7- by 10-foot tunnel entry served to collect all of the model performance, including any Particle Image Velocimetry, or PIV, measurements of interest, while the anechoic treatment in the 40- by 80-foot tunnel would make it possible to collect the corresponding acoustic measurements for the conditions collected in the smaller tunnel.

The data set in the 40- by 80-foot tunnel was compiled using model mounted balances and acoustic measurements from strut-mounted microphones and wall-mounted microphone arrays.

“Since our focus was the corresponding acoustic measurements of the 7- by 10-foot [tunnel] entry, we had to tailor our focus experiment from the perspective of obtaining quality acoustic measurements,” Bartow said. “This led to the design of three additional microphone struts that were fabricated for the entry along with an analysis for the customer on where the placement would be most effective.”

The AART would set a standard, as the combined data set from entries in both tunnels would provide researchers with a comprehensive dataset to build future analysis tools to aid in the development of rotorcraft systems.

“The team was looking to build a comprehensive data set on the performance of a tail-mounted propeller under the influence of upstream aerodynamic wake generated from empennage control surfaces,” Bartow said.

Working alongside the NFAC AART team onsite were test customer staff and civilian personnel from both the Army and NASA.

The test buildup process began in the fall of 2019 and continued through the early part of 2020. It was around that time the COVID-19 pandemic began to ramp up in the U.S., disrupting businesses and educational institutions nationwide. It was also when the challenges posed by the pandemic began for the AART team.

A rising number of COVID-19 cases across the country and fears of the spread of COVID-19 forced the test customer to depart NFAC and return to their base of operations on the East Coast. Although now on the other side of the country, the test customer was still able to provide valuable input to the AART team.

“While it’s typical to have customer representation onsite to oversee the various phases of the entry, the pandemic introduced some challenges to the team when it forced all of the customer personnel to return home,” Bartow said. “We were fortunate to have most of the installation effort completed but did have to perform some final model changes while relying on remote customer support.”

By mid-March of 2020, the remainder of the execution phase was performed with the customer supporting the NFAC team remotely.

It quickly became apparent COVID-19 wasn’t going away anytime soon. In the latter part of March 2020, California Gov. Gavin Newsome issued an order for residents to remain at home save only for essential travel, such as trips to the grocery store, convenience stores and banks. With this order implemented, NFAC personnel were forced to clear out, and the facility was vacant for several months. This officially put the AART program on hold.

When members of the AART team returned to the facility that summer, they didn’t miss a beat.

“COVID stay-at-home orders eventually put a pause in the progress we were making and prevented us from resuming test execution efforts until several months later in July when the center partially reopened to essential personnel,” Bartow said. “After about three months of being away from testing, our team was able to step back into operations efficiently and safely like no time had passed.”

More than 20 NFAC personnel were assigned to the test throughout the different phases of the entry in addition to the NASA and Army civil servants who worked closely with the team while the AART occurred onsite. Bartow added the collaboration with personnel from the Army and NASA rotorcraft groups made it possible to complete the test while ensuring the NFAC team met all data quality requirements.

“NASA provided the personnel, expertise and the equipment to acquire the acoustic data and perform the acoustic analysis and data reduction, while the Army provided personnel to help in the execution of the entry,” he said.

The test in the 40- by 80-foot wind tunnel, which originally began in October 2019, was completed in August 2020. 

“Sometimes the excellence of our wind tunnel test organizations and test teams are challenged to prove their resilience and determination. The COVID-19 pandemic has done just that,” Warmbrodt wrote. “And the NFAC AART Test Team was up to the challenge.”

Members of the AART team were: Shawn Abadajos, Meliton Abenojar, Bartolome Aganon, Lex Alday, Geoffrey Ament, Russell Baker, William Bartow, Preston Bates, Kevin Boyce, Daniel Boyd, Nathan Burnside, Christopher Byron, Joseph Candaso, Louis Centolanza, Benny Cheung, Alvin Cruz, Steven Diamond, Michelle Dominguez, Scott Edwards, Michael Fleming, Brenda Fox, Todd Fuller, Nili Gold, Patrick Goulding, Paul Gracia, Effie Greene, Farid Haddad, Brian Hall, Christopher Hartley, Laquisha Highsmith, Kenneth Horn, William Horne, Levi Hubbard, Chakaria Hunter, Luisito Icari, Scott Jaffa, Jeffrey Johnson, Matthew Kwan, Jeffery Law, Mike Lonergan, William Lovvorn, Kyle Lukacovic, Kristen Mailhot, Matthew Nguyen, Thomas Norman, Christopher Nykamp, Austin Paige, Jose Rosario-Ferrer, Sandra Ruiz, Joseph Sacco, Cal Sargent, Emily Sayles, David Schatzman, Natasha Schatzman, Alex Sheikman, James Stephenson, Michael Strauss, Matthew Thomas, Brian Timmons, Calvin Tsurui, Johannes Van Aken, Thomas Wade, Brian Wallace, Adam Walsh, Scott Waltermire, Gina Willink, Jonathan Winegar and Nikolas Zawodny.

Published April 25, 2022

By Bradley Hicks

AEDC Public Affairs

Over the past six years, several interns were brought onboard through the initiative. All of these individuals are still currently employed at Arnold AFB, headquarters of the Arnold Engineering Development Complex.

Those tasked with ensuring the continued success of the program are now looking to take it to the next level with the help of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, or TCAT, and local schools.

The effort, being referred to as the Craft Internship Revitalization, could provide Arnold with a larger pool of potential interns to work in a variety of craft positions across the installation.

Aside from the extra manpower, the program has the added benefit of introducing the interns to Arnold and familiarizing them with job processes and expectations and enable them to capture the knowledge of the existing long-term craft employees for the future of Arnold AFB.

“With the increasing need for skilled craft resources, this is an excellent opportunity to tap into local resources and grow the AEDC workforce,” said Michelle Hicks, Design Engineering functional manager for National Aerospace Solutions, LLC, the Test Operations and Sustainment contractor for AEDC.

Craft jobs at Arnold cover many different disciplines. These include electricians, instrument technicians, aerospace precision machinists and mobile crane operators, among many others.

“Discussion of the craft internship program gives students an opportunity to understand what opportunities may be available to them if they meet the training and educational requirements,” Hicks said. “Understanding what opportunities are available to students and what it takes to prepare for those opportunities helps students plan and be set up for success.”  

The craft internship program was already part of the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement between National Aerospace Solutions, LLC, or NAS, and the Air Engineering Metal Trades Council.

“The craft intern program outreach to local high schools provides information to the students of opportunities for future employment at AEDC which does not require formal college education,” said Randy Long, NAS labor relations manager. “This opportunity has the added benefit of the students not incurring debt associated with traditional college education.”

The push to further advance the effort began a couple of years ago.

In 2020, the Air Force looked to broaden its recruiting efforts for scientists and engineers. At that time, the recruiting function for scientists and engineers at Arnold AFB was assigned to the AEDC Air Force Personnel Office. When AEDC was subsequently reorganized to mirror an Air Force wing structure, the AEDC Technical Management Branch was created. One of the responsibilities of this branch is workforce career development.

“Recruiting is part of that,” said Mike Dent, chief of AEDC Technical Management. “Retention of skilled personnel is always a concern. Why not promote the benefits and rewards of working at AEDC to local talent? This will enhance the likelihood of a lifelong career.”

To bolster career recruiting at the base, Air Force personnel at Arnold initiated an outreach effort with the local high schools to get students interested in pursuing trade careers and equipping them to potentially get an internship after enrollment in a trade or technical school. The Air Force invited NAS to participate.

“It was an excellent opportunity for NAS to promote the craft internship program, among other opportunities at NAS and AEDC,” Hicks said.

Discussions focused on the craft internship program started with Tullahoma City Schools in 2020, followed by talks with Coffee County and Franklin County schools officials in late 2021.

Dent said the response from administrators in the local schools systems was “very positive.” More information on the intern program was provided to Tullahoma and Franklin County schools officials during presentations conducted by Dent and Hicks earlier this year.

Much like the initial discussions, these presentations were positively received, so much so that teachers and administrators from Tullahoma High School and Franklin County Schools were excited to get an up-close look at several Arnold AFB craft areas and facilities during tours in late February and early March. During these visits, the educators learned more about the roles craft personnel play across Arnold and how vital their work is to the operations of test facilities and execution of the AEDC mission. The groups toured the craft shops in the von Kármán Gas Dynamics Facility and the High-Enthalpy Arc Heated Facility, the AEDC Model and Machine Shop, and the Model Installation Building of the Propulsion Wind Tunnel Facility.

Derek Swiger, machine shop instructor at Tullahoma High School, was among those who visited Arnold. He said the prospect of some of his current students eventually landing an internship at Arnold after acquiring the required education or experience is exciting.

“I love machining, and I try to convey that to my students,” Swiger said. “I have several students right now that are doing really well in machine shop class, but I think if we can get them a better knowledge of what actually goes on out in real machine shops, it’d give them a good expectation of what they’re going to have to do in the future.”

Suzanne Mitchell, Franklin County Schools Career Technical Education director who visited the base, said informing students interested in craft careers about what types of jobs are out there, furnishing them with knowledge on the training and education needed for particular fields, and providing them information on their options will only serve to grow the number of those interested in pursuing an internship at Arnold.

And Mitchell added she was impressed by the options available at Arnold.

“There’s so many specialties,” she said. “You look at welding, you have the pipefitters, you have the boilermakers so, as a student, you can come see what you’re interested in and then go from there.”

Jessie Kinsey, Tullahoma High School assistant principal and Career Technical Education director who toured the base, is gratified to see AEDC and area schools systems working in tandem.

“I think it’s exciting,” Kinsey said. “I saw a lot of similar equipment … I’m excited for the opportunity for the partnership because we share the same basic skillsets.”

Kinsey added teachers and administrators in the local schools systems will play an important role in accomplishing these goals going forward, and she is excited about student opportunities and their prospects of a career at Arnold.

Additional outreach is planned for Grundy County Schools. Administrators from the Coffee County Schools system have also expressed interest in the program.

NAS is also in the planning stages for outreach activities with TCAT.

There is the possibility program outreach could be expanded beyond the initial group of schools to widen the pool of potential interns.

“Once the craft intern program is engaged, the NAS management team will always be evaluating the needs of NAS and AEDC,” Hicks said. “This could lead to further expansion of participating and partnering schools.”

The number of initial craft internship positions has not yet been determined. This, along with the work locations, will be determined by manpower needs when the positions are posted.

Craft internship candidates will need to possess the required experience and/or education and meet all of the requirements for full-time employment at AEDC, such as passing a medical screening and obtaining a security clearance. The internships will be paid full-time positions and offer full-time employee benefits.

“The type of work is determined by the craft position they are hired for,” Long said. “How long an intern position lasts is based on and determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement language.”

Hiring for the craft internship positions is projected to begin this fall. The internships will be posted under the job postings section of the NAS external website, and candidates will be required to apply and interview for the positions.

With the support of the local schools systems, those involved in the craft internship program are hoping to see the same level of success as the NAS and Air Force engineer intern programs, which bring a collection of collegiate engineering students from across the country to Arnold each year.

“The craft internship program is structured differently than the engineering internship programs in that candidates are brought on as full-time employees and have the opportunity to continue their employment directly into a journeyman position,” Hicks said, “but the benefit of gaining experience on the job, capturing knowledge of the experienced craft workforce for the future of AEDC and contributing to the AEDC mission is the same.”