Raspet recognizes flight team on World Pilots Day; Meet Glen Brown

Glen Brown is one of our most experienced pilots at Raspet Flight Research Laboratory.  He holds a single & multi-engine land rating along with an instrument rating, and he is a certified flight instructor.  Glen is also an airframe and powerplant mechanic with inspection authorization. 

Glen began flying in 1974, but it would be another 46 years before he landed at Raspet. His experiences as a pilot are as extensive as his decades-long career. 

“I started as a flight instructor, agriculture pilot & ag pilot instructor,” said Glen. 

Since then, Glen has owned and operated a flying service, worked for some of the nation’s leading aviation companies, and trained a new generation of pilots and aircraft mechanics. 

With a wealth of aeronautical knowledge and experience, Glen joined Raspet in May 2020 as a Federal Aviation Administration Designated Airworthiness Representative (FAA DAR). He performs inspections and testing services necessary to maintain Raspet’s fleet of aircraft, which is the largest in academic use. 

Becoming a FAA DAR, which requires continuous training, is a career highlight for Glen, but he still enjoys flying when he can. 

“My favorite aircraft is a Cessna 310,” said Glen.  “It’s fast, nimble, and it can carry a good load.”

Raspet Flight Research Laboratory is the nation’s leading academic research center dedicated to the advancement of uncrewed aircraft systems. Raspet is the only institute in the world designated both as the FAA’s UAS Safety Research Facility and as official UAS Test Sites for both the FAA and the Department of Homeland Security, placing the research center at the helm of studying and developing UAS safety and certification standards. Home to a fleet of the largest and most capable unmanned aircraft in academic use, Raspet conducts UAS research on behalf of federal agencies and commercial industry partners, helping grow Mississippi’s aerospace sector.