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The Aero Club of New England's IceBreaker events are a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow aviators (and those who just love aviation!) while hearing from fascinating speakers.

Join us Thursday, January 8, 2026 at Boston MedFlight at Hanscom Field in Bedford, MA.

David “Pappy” Culbertson joined MIT Lincoln Laboratory in November 2018 as the Director of the Flight Test Facility. In this role, he provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the facility’s flight, maintenance, engineering, and administrative teams, ensuring safe and effective flight and ground operations for the Laboratory’s uniquely modified aircraft that support national-security research and development programs.

Mr. Culbertson’s career spans more than 40 years in military aviation, aerospace research and development, and test and evaluation. He began his career with over two decades of service in the U.S. Navy as a fighter pilot, test pilot, and acquisition professional. His operational experience includes extended deployments to the Mediterranean and North Atlantic aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), flying the F/A-18 Hornet. He served as chief flight instructor at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School; chief test pilot and director of quality at the Naval Air Depot in North Island, California; and avionics systems project officer for the F/A-18 program.

Following his Navy retirement, Mr. Culbertson continued pursuing his passion for flying, teaching, and research as an assistant professor and Director of Flight Test at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He later joined Calspan Corporation, an international flight research organization, as Chief Test Pilot and European Program Manager, while continuing to serve as an adjunct professor at Embry-Riddle.

Mr. Culbertson holds a bachelor’s degree in ocean engineering, graduating with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy; a test pilot engineering degree from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School; and a master’s degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee. His FAA credentials include Airline Transport Pilot—Multiengine; Commercial Pilot—Single Engine/Glider; type ratings in the Learjet and Saab 340; and Certified Flight Instructor for single-engine, multi-engine, instrument, and glider. He has accumulated more than 8,000 accident-free flight hours in over 70 aircraft, including more than 4,000 hours in experimental and highly modified platforms.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and a member of the Aero Club of New England.