John Colthar has over 15 years of experience managing complex aerospace projects involving design, prototyping, manufacturing and testing. He has specialized in managing interdisciplinary teams and tight project schedules. Notable experiences include managing the manufacturing of an unmanned aircraft that set an 80-hour endurance record, and leading the design of electrical harnesses for communication satellites and spacecraft.

1. John William Colthar
5105 Castle Harbor Way  Centreville VA  20120  (703) 474-6863  turaboy@gmail.com
SUMMARY: Aerospace intrapreneur specializing in managing difficult inter-disciplinary projects and
organizations under tight deadlines. Experienced in project management, design, prototype, test, and
production of complex cross-functional aerospace systems.
WORK EXPERIENCE:
Orion Manufacturing Lead / Avionics IPT Lead
Aurora Flight Sciences
Manassas, VA, Fall 2012 – Present
 Managed 7 suppliers ($2.4M) as Orion Supply Chain Manager (SCM) during parallel system
requirements / hardware development cycle; primary programmatic point of contact and liaison
between program managers and technical participants
o Negotiated subcontract details, Finalized Statements of Work (SOWs)
o Created and Conducted kickoff and weekly status meetings; Managed technical progress
and deliverables; Managed Running Action Item Lists (RAILs)
 Planned, Managed and Lead Manufacturing for world endurance record (80-hour) Orion
Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) during two retrofit / flight test spirals (571 drawings, 675 parts)
o Corrected / reconciled engineering discrepancies on-floor; Prioritized work for 12 technicians
o Ordered, received, inventoried, and kitted 42,000 piece parts
o Supported Integration & Test (I&T) team of 12 engineers and technicians across 3 sites
o Reviewed and Approved drawings as Avionics Manufacturing signatory; served as stamped
Quality Control inspector for manufactured items
 Materials Cost Account Manager (CAM) for 3 Orion retrofit / upgrade spirals ($11M)
o Generated materials proposals and forecasts, Estimated air and ground system materials
costs, Tracked expenditures, Reconciled budgets
 Managed Manufacturing Bill of Materials (MBOM) (2900 part numbers, 60 data points per / line)
 Managed and Lead avionics Integrated Product Team (IPT) through detailed design, build,
installation, and test for Orion UAS (7 engineers, 243 drawings, 455 parts)
GEO Harness IPT Cost Account Manager
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Dulles, VA, Fall 2008 – Fall 2012
 Managed and Lead system schematic and electrical harness design for 8 GEO communications
satellites and NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation System (COTS) Cygnus spacecraft
(16,000 wires each, $5M total)
o Increased GEO harness Schedule Performance Index (SPI) from 0.3 (Intelsat 23) to 1.0
(AzerSat 1)
o Created, Developed, and Managed Cygnus Electrical Block Diagram (9 subsystems, 430
components) depicting triple redundant flight control and vehicle management system
 Created and Managed two 7000-task MS Project schedules to track 415 harness assemblies
throughout design and build cycle; Reported monthly Earned Value Management (EVM) /
Estimate at Complete (EAC) progress towards 9 project Integrated Master Schedules (IMS)
 Represented functional management during monthly Program Reviews (vice-president level)
 Managed, Supervised, and Assigned Tasking for 16 electrical design engineers working from
pre-Preliminary Design Review (PDR) to I&T support phases; hired 4 design contractors
 Managed drawing release process to pre-determined schedule; Evaluated and approved
harness and harness installation design drawings for production
 Represented harnessing design team during ad-hoc Failure Review Boards (FRBs) with
company and customer management during 24/7 build phase; presented and clarified complex
technical data to both subject matter experts (SMEs) and program management
 Resolved conflicts between design, production, and program agents; worked closely with Flight
Assurance to isolate and disposition technical issues

2. Lead Avionics Fabrication Engineer
Aurora Flight Sciences
Manassas, VA, Summer 2006 – Fall 2008
 Managed & Lead avionics architecture design for Orion HALL UAS (precursor to record holder)
 Managed & Lead avionics design, build, installation, and test for Excalibur Vertical Takeoff and
Landing (VTOL) UAS (280 drawings)
 Managed avionics design, build, installation, and transition to production for 8 prototype
GoldenEye 80 VTOL UASs ($300K); Utilized new 3D mockup manufacturing process for
electrical harness builds
 Supervised and Managed Harness and Fabrication Section, including 2 harnessing engineers
and up to 9 technicians for 1 year
Lead Subsystem Test Engineer
Frontier, The Boeing Company
Irvine, CA, Spring 2005 – Summer 2006
 Lead Design & Development of A160 Hummingbird UAS Helicopter Gearbox Test Control Stand
 Lead Design & Development of A160 Subaru Engine Control and Monitor Test System
 Organized & Conducted multiphase Subaru engine dynamometer testing at vendor site
 Developed & Implemented documentation schema for UAS Subsystem Testing Organization
Electric Actuation Test Engineer
The Boeing Company
Huntington Beach, CA, Summer 2001 – Spring 2005
 Developed and Co-directed 750-page Aerosurface Calibration Verification Procedure for X-37A
autonomous spaceplane Approach and Landing Test Vehicle across 2 operating sites;
Participated in periodic Test Readiness Reviews (TRRs)
 Co-directed proto-qualification testing for X-37 flight control electromechanical actuators (EMAs)
 Developed 4-year Crew Escape Avionics Test Plan for NASA Next Generation Launch Vehicles
 Analyzed and Developed Subsystem Requirements for Space Launch Initiative NGLV
candidates; Presented results to NASA representatives
Test Systems Engineer
Pratt & Whitney
West Palm Beach, FL, Spring 2000
 Implemented and Installed main engine throttle controller in F119 military jet engine test stand
 Researched and Specified Laser Positioning System for Joint Strike Fighter jet plume rake test
DMS-10 Telephone Switching System Co-Op
Nortel Networks
Research Triangle Park, NC, Fall 1998
 Evaluated prototype Printed Wiring Assemblies (PWAs) using oscilloscopes and logic analyzers
 Configured new Surface Mount soldering station; Instructed 30 people on its use
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:
MS Technical Management, Johns Hopkins
University, Baltimore, Maryland
Graduated December 2011 GPA: 4.00 / 4.00
BS Electrical Engineering, NC State
University, Raleigh, North Carolina
Graduated May 2001 GPA: 3.74 / 4.00
Magna Cum Laude
Certificate, Supervisory and Management Skills, National Management Association
Cerritos College, Norwalk, California May 2004

3. COMPUTER SOFTWARE SKILLS:
 Expert: Microsoft (MS) Excel, MS Project, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Visio, MS Outlook
 Intermediate: Adobe Acrobat
 Beginner: SAP ByDesign
 Intermediate, inactive: DOORS, MATLAB, LabVIEW, Tyco HarnWare, Mindjet MindManager,
ORCAD, CATIA, Lotus Notes
PROJECTS AND SKILLS:
 AIAA Young Professional of the Year, 2005-2006 (Orange County, CA Section)
 Organized and Co-led four-course UAV Aircraft Design, Build, and Fly Series taught by Dan
Raymer, PhD through UCLA Extension (2004-2005) Organizing member of Boeing Young
Engineers Team, a grassroots career development / mentoring organization begun in Huntington
Beach, CA (2004-2006)
 Former Booster Manager for the Boeing Aerospace Leadership Chapter (National Management
Association)
 Leader for NC State HELIOS Robotics Team: Supervised Design and Construction of scale
model RF-controlled Moon Rover for winning entry in 1998 NASA National Competition
 Extraordinary problem-solver with a strong sense of urgency
 Independently utilizes rapid prototyping to quickly settle intractable design & manufacturing trades
 Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and visual communications skills
CLEARANCE: Secret Clearance awarded March 5, 2004 (inactive)