Capt. Heather Ross is a 787 engineering project pilot for The Boeing Company. In this position, Ross is responsible for 787 project pilot support with airplane design, handling qualities evaluations, extended operations (ETOPS) and airplane entry into service (EIS) issues, and is responsible for conducting the flight test program on ZA004, the third 787 airplane to enter test.
Ross previously served as a Boeing production flight test pilot as the 737 and later, 787 Chief Production Pilot. She currently holds an FAA type rating in the 737, 747-400, 757/767, and 777 airplanes, and has participated in numerous test Boeing such as the 777-300, 777-300ER, 777-200LR, 757-300, 737-700/800/900/900ER, 737 Short Field Performance, 737 Wedgetail, 767 Tanker, and F-22 Flying Testbed.
Ross originally joined Boeing in 1985 as a flight test engineer. In 1988, she left Boeing and joined the U.S. Air Force, where she attended Undergraduate Pilot Training and flew the T-37, and T-38 airplanes. In 1990, immediately after completing initial pilot training, she completed transition training to the C-5 transport airplane and was based at Travis AFB. Shortly after, in mid 1990, Ross was called to active duty in support of Operation Desert Storm and flew over 40 missions into the Persian Gulf in support the Gulf War. After the war, she transferred to McChord AFB, WA and flew the C-141 aircraft until her separation from the Air Force in 2003.
Prior to her return to Boeing, Ross served as a pilot for United Airlines, where she was a flight engineer on the 747-200, and 727-200 aircraft, and a first officer on the 737-300/500.
Ross has over 5,000 hours of flight time and holds a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the University of Washington.