Wayne Lutz, associate professor of practice in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, shares his experience with students in his AERO 401 Airplane Capstone Design course. He is a former United States Air Force test pilot on the B-1 Bomber Program and operations officer in the United States Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Later at Boeing Defense Systems Flight Operations at Seattle, Washington, he supported as chief test pilot, the Boeing 757 flying testbed aircraft for the development of USAF F-22 Raptor aircraft systems, the unmanned combat air vehicle system, and numerous other aircraft programs where he conducted operational flight test and managed customer programs. He was awarded distinguished military graduate and received a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M in 1972 and a master’s degree in systems management from the University of Southern California in 1984. He was twice awarded the Sigma Gamma Tau Teaching Excellence Award at Texas A&M in 2011 and 2015, respectively, and previously supported academic mentoring for students in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M. Lutz and his wife Bobbie, who also attended Texas A&M, now reside in College Station, Texas. He is committed to excellence and leadership in research and teaching, and to personal and professional development of our students’ quality aerospace engineering education through the Capstone Design Program.
