Test Wing’s Davin Is Flight Officer of the Yr.
CMDR Daniel P. Martin, commanding officer of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 24, right, accepts the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal from COL Richard E. Marigliano, commanding officer of Naval Test Wing Atlantic, on behalf of MAJ Joseph Davin, the 2020 NTWL Test Naval Flight Officer of the Year. (US Navy photo)
Marine Corps MAJ Joseph Davin earned the Naval Test Wing Atlantic Test Naval Flight Officer of the Year Award for 2020. He received his award during a virtual ceremony March 5.
As UX-24’s project officer for the RQ-21 Blackjack small tactical unmanned air system, MAJ Davin led his team to develop innovative improvements to the project’s data reporting processes, installing new equipment, and developing seamless integration strategies that significantly reduced the time required to analyze postflight data.
COL Richard E. Marigliano, NTWL commander, presented MAJ Davin with the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, gold star in lieu of second award, and an engraved watch from the Navy League of the United States and the Patuxent River Council, which have supported the Test NFO of the Year Award since 1970. He also presented MAJ Davin with an NTWL challenge coin.
Brian Markowich, NTWL executive director, presented MAJ Davin with the Test NFO of the Year plaque.
“As you know, this year was a challenging environment that’s been completely new to us, and it was difficult for us to keep focus on our mission,” COL Marigliano said. “The remarkable work that you did in focusing on innovative ways to resolve data issues and improve data quality really broke you out of the pack.”
“Thank you very much for all that you’ve done as RQ-21 Blackjack project officer,” Mr. Markowich said. “As the director of flight test engineering, I firmly believe the relationship between our project officers and our project engineering corps is what makes the entire test wing, the test squadrons, and the test teams successful.”
“Congratulations, JV,” CMDR Daniel P. Martin, commanding officer of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (UX) 24, said, referring to MAJ Davin by his call sign. “It’s always awesome when a Ghost Wolf gets recognized for their efforts and hard work.”
MAJ Davin attended the virtual ceremony from Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, where he is currently on temporary additional duty. Because he could not receive his awards or his gift in person, his Marine Corps colleagues at Holloman ceremonially presented him with a children’s watch as a substitute, which the ceremony’s participants greatly enjoyed.
“I’d like to thank the command for nominating me for this award. I’m extremely humbled,” MAJ Davin said. “I’ll take your words to heart and we’ll continue to get the job done at UX-24. I look forward to it.”
Nicknamed the “Ghost Wolves,” UX-24 is the Navy’s only dedicated UAS test unit.
UX-24 currently provides research, development, test, and evaluation services for Groups 1-4 UAS, including fielded platforms such as RQ-20B Puma, RQ-21 Blackjack and MQ-8 Fire Scout. Located at Naval Air Station Pax River’s Webster Outlying Field (WOLF) in St. Inigoes, MD, the squadron comprises experts in the unmanned aircraft test community from engineers and air vehicle operators to United States Naval Test Pilot School graduates. In addition to supporting programs of record, the team also supports urgent warfighter needs as well as test demands from sister services, other government agencies, and research institutions.
Naval Test Wing Atlantic, a component of Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, serves as the fleet’s advocate in support of testing and evaluation of the Navy’s principal aviation systems ranging from unmanned to rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft.
This article was provided by NAVAIR News.
