Philip G. Hall

Philip G. Hall was Global Hawk deputy project manager at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA.

He was also a research pilot, flying the Global Hawk and King Air aircraft. In addition, he was the Federal Aviation Administration project liaison for issues relating to flight clearance of the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system in the national airspace.

A native of Dunedin, New Zealand, Hall is a captain in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Corps. Corps officers operate ships, fly aircraft, lead mobile field parties, conduct diving operations, manage research projects, and serve in staff positions throughout NOAA.

He was assigned to NASA Dryden (now Armstrong) in 2007 as deputy project manager for the NASA Ikhana (Predator B) Unmanned Aircraft System. In that position, he was part of the team that conducted the Western States Fire Missions in partnership with NASA’s Ames Research Center and the U.S. Forest Service. In 2009, he became qualified as a Global Hawk pilot and flew the first flight series of that aircraft.

Capt. Hall received his NOAA commission as ensign in 1993 and served aboard the NOAA ship Surveyor on missions from Alaska to the Antarctic. He has served in NOAA positions at the agency’s Aircraft Operations Center in Tampa, FL, and Air Resource Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN. In the latter, he was lead engineer for modification of Twin Otter aircraft for use in airborne science research and also designed instrumentation for other types of aircraft.

Hall is a 1992 graduate of Purdue University, Lafayette, IN, and holds a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. He is the lead author on two technical papers, and holds the rank of Commander in the NOAA Commissioned Corps.