Executive Leadership Board:
Craig Bomben

Vice President and Chief Pilot of Product and Aircraft Development, Boeing Test & Evaluation.

Capt. Craig Bomben is the Vice President and Chief Pilot of Product and Aircraft Development for Boeing Test & Evaluation, a position he has held since 2025. In this role, he is tasked with ensuring that future Boeing aircraft and product upgrades align with the operational needs of customers while continuously enhancing safety standards within the aviation industry.

Capt. Bomben holds type ratings in all current Boeing production commercial models and maintains currency in both fighter and rotorcraft aircraft. He has accumulated over 8,000 hours of flight time across more than 75 different aircraft types, showcasing his extensive experience in aviation. He completed first flights on the B737-8 Max and B777X aircraft and follow on developmental and certification flight tests.  

From 2015 to 2025, Capt. Bomben held the position of Vice President, Flight operations and Company Chief Pilot where he provided operational leadership and business oversight for all flight operations, including developmental and production flight tests of Boeing’s commercial and military aircraft. His organization supported aircrew operations in critical areas such as flight training, cabin safety, regulatory compliance, and engagement with customer aircrews. Additionally, he served as the skill team captain for pilots across the enterprise. In May 2016, he also took on the role of Vice President of BT&E Design/Build, where he oversaw the design and construction of laboratory test components and flight test modifications, including advanced instrumentation packages.

Prior to his current position, Capt. Bomben served as the Chief Test Pilot for military aircraft, leading a team of pilots, aircrew, and support personnel in the development, demonstration, and production testing of military products. He also held the position of Chief Production Pilot for commercial airplanes, where he ensured regulatory compliance and oversaw daily production test operations, including customer acceptance of aircraft.

Before becoming Chief Production Pilot in 2011, Capt. Bomben was responsible for conducting developmental and engineering flight tests on ZA004, the third 787 Dreamliner to enter flight testing, and on the 747-8 and served as Deputy Chief Pilot for the 737.

Capt. Bomben began his career at Boeing in 2006 as a production flight test pilot after serving as a research test pilot for NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, for six years. His assignments included a variety of research and support activities while piloting aircraft such as the F/A-18, F-15B, T-38, DC-8, T-34C, and King Air.

A graduate of the Naval Aviation Officer Training School in 1987, Capt. Bomben began his naval flying career in 1985 and transitioned to a test pilot career in 1992 upon graduating from the Naval Test Pilot School. During his 16-year active duty in the Navy, he conducted developmental flight testing of the F-14D and F/A-18 aircraft, as well as the CT-133 and CF-188. He led numerous multinational missions over Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch and Operation Desert Storm. In 2001, he transitioned to the Naval Reserves, serving as the operations officer for Joint Forces Component Command, San Diego, and was called to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Southern Watch.

Capt. Bomben holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Washington State University and an Executive MBA from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. He is actively engaged with Washington State University as the Boeing Executive Focal and is a member of the university’s Academic Advisory Board for the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture. In recognition of his contributions to the field of aviation, he was named a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots in 2019.