Brent R. Cobleigh

Brent R. Cobleigh is the project manager of the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project (SFD) at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Selected for this position in 2021, he leads a multi-center NASA team in partnership with Boeing to validate technologies and reduce risks related to a Transonic Truss-Braced Wing configuration, which has the potential to reduce fuel burn and CO2emissions by 30% for passenger air travel. The project will achieve key learnings through design, build, and flight test of a full-scale demonstrator.

Experience

Throughout his 33-year career at NASA Armstrong, Cobleigh has worked a wide variety of projects in flight research. From 2019 to 2021, he served in temporary assignments as the NASA Armstrong chief of staff and deputy director of Programs. Prior to his current position, Cobleigh was selected in 2015 as the manager of the Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities project. In that role, he developed and managed subprojects that transition aeronautics technology development efforts from ground test to the flight environment, and the facilities that support flight test.

From 2010 to 2015, he was assigned to the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) to manage the development of a highly modified Boeing 747SP aircraft that carried a 2.5-meter infrared space telescope, the world’s largest flying astronomical observatory. Once it was operational, he became the deputy program manager for Operations.

In 2008, Cobleigh became the center lead for space-related projects that was highlighted with the successful first flight test of the Orion Launch Abort System in May 2010.  After completing a one-year detail to NASA Headquarters as part of a leadership development program in 2004, Cobleigh became the project manager for the Ikhana remotely piloted aircraft, which demonstrated 20-hour wildfire mapping missions over the Western United States and was awarded the 2008 Unmanned Operation of the Year. From 1989 to 2002, he served in engineering roles on more than 10 research aircraft and spacecraft projects including the X-31, F-16XL Supersonic Laminar Flow, SR-71, X-33, Autonomous Formation Flight, and X-37.

Technical Papers and Education

Throughout his career, he published 22 papers covering research in the areas of aerodynamics, flight mechanics and dynamics, and advanced air-data systems. Cobleigh earned a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and a Master of Science in aerospace engineering from George Washington University in Washington.