John Hile has a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Auburn University and 5 years of ground test experience at Arnold’s Air Force Base with the Arc Heater Facility, where he was the Lead Test Engineer for nearly 4 years. In his time at AEDC, he planned and executed 100+ arc heater tests with several model geometries of high-temperature materials such as wedge coupons, nose tips, leading edges, shrouds, and other unique geometries. Using his knowledge of compressible flow and nozzle theory, he aided DoD and contractor customers on which nozzles, heater conditions, model sizes, and instrumentation should be used in order to collect the required data needed to meet program objectives. He analyzed CFD and test data to ensure the facility's safety and customer data integrity would be maintained throughout the tests. As the lead, he was involved with schedule planning and aided the capability manager in balancing test readiness and need dates in order for programs to meet milestones on time. Overall John has built a large knowledge base of arc heater testing/ground testing in a short amount of time through rigorous test planning, execution, and analysis in a fast pace environment.
