Marta Bohn Meyer

Outside of the workplace, Marta enjoys building and flying aerobatic airplanes. She states that she enjoys building and constructing things - and sewing - because she considers building and constructing intellectually challenging. Besides loving to fly and building things, Marta likes to run, read and write in her spare time. She also enjoys giving back to the community and her profession by speaking to local schools and interested groups about her unique experiences in her aerospace career.

Marta attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering. While in college, Marta participated in the university-NASA co-operative education program at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Upon graduation, Marta began her professional career at NASA Dryden as a junior engineer.

Throughout her career at Dryden, Marta has worked on a number of different projects. She began as an Operations Engineer working for Dryden's F-104 aircraft. A particularly interesting assignment for her was the installation of a unique flight test fixture - or pylon - on the bottom of the F-104. This pylon was designed to be used as an airborne wind tunnel. Among other things, the fixture was used to test and evaluate the adhesives used to bond the thermal protection system (tiles) on the space shuttle. It was also used to evaluate concepts and sensors used for specialized aerodynamic experiments before a larger or full-scale experiment is implemented on other aircraft. The success of this fixture as a cost and time saving tool lead to the development of a newer, larger fixture which has subsequently been been installed on the F-15B aircraft flow at NASA Dryden.

After the F-104, Marta was assigned as the Operations Engineer on the F-14 Variable Sweep Laminar Flow Flight Experiment. This project involved attaching an airfoil shape over the wing of the F-14. This shape, also know as a "glove" was designed with embedded sensors and instruments which allow engineers to determine the aerodynamic factors which affect the existence of natural laminar - or smooth - airflow over a wing. Of great importance to Marta at this point in her career, was that she was also assigned as one of the two flight test engineers - or backseaters - for the project.

After nine years as an Operations Engineer, Marta became the Project Manager for the highly successful F-16XL Supersonic Laminar Flow Control project. During this project, her team demonstrated - for the first time in recorded history - extensive runs of laminar flow on a delta wing aircraft, under supersonic flight conditions. She sites her experiences as an Operations Engineer, flight test engineer and the formal and informal training in communication and organizational skills, as her prime resources during her career as a project manager.

In 1991, Marta became the first female crewmember assigned to the SR-71 aircraft. One of fewer than 500 people ever given the chance to fly in the SR-71, Marta considers her crew member status a great honor and privilege, Marta explains that the opportunity was brought about because of what she calls "her four rights: right time, right place, right enthusiasm , and right qualifications". She credits her parents, mentors, supervisors, and family and friends with helping her manage her "rights".

As the Director of Safety and Mission Assurance, Marta feels that she still has much to learn and room to grow. Although the world of safety brings to her more technical and managerial challenges, Marta would like to return to her roots in flight operations someday; perhaps as the Director of Flight Operations. She hopes to retire while still young enough to fly all over the United Sates - seeing the country as the Nation's bird, the Bald Eagle might see it.

Marta's advice to young people is to be sure that they go through life doing something they want to do. She advises people to find a hobby - and turn it into a profession if possible. If that is not possible, keep the hobby for personal growth. Marta considers he hobby, flying her passion as well. She also advises that if opportunity knocks, you should open the door AND go through! Never look back and say you made the wrong decision, it's not worth the time. Just learn from your mistakes and move on. Most importantly, Marta stresses that you should try to be involved in the things like to do.

Archived Chats

• April 25, 2002: QuestChat
• April 27, 2000: QuestChat