Hermeus Hires Tom Fields
January XX, 2022
Hermeus was built on a foundation of testing, with flight testing being the ultimate proof and the next major milestone for the company. Tom "Sally" Fields is a deeply experienced flight test leader and pilot and is joining Hermeus as Director of Flight Test. In this role, Tom will oversee flight test strategy, engineering, operations, training, and certification as we drive to flight of our first aircraft, Quarterhorse, and beyond. We look forward to him joining us full time in July.
“The vision being pursued by Hermeus is meaningful , challenging, and has great potential to positively impact the world. The Quarterhorse aircraft is the first major step in fulfilling the vision of hypersonic flight. This is the beginning of a tough journey which will likely require dedication, creativity, resilience, and a little luck to succeed. I can't wait to join in on the fun.”
Tom is completing a tour as the Commanding Officer and Chief Test Pilot for Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 (VX-31) where he led a workforce of over 430 active duty, government service, and contractor personnel in the safe operation of 34 aircraft. As Government Flight Test Director for the F-35 Integrated Task Force, he led a test team of 600 personnel testing F-35B/C aircraft. He has also served in a variety of other leadership, pilot, and instructor roles within the Marine Corps.
Additionally, Tom has served as Mission Commander, Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor, Night Systems Instructor, and Air Combat Tactics Instructor. He is a commercial and instrument rated pilot with over 3000 flight hours across dozens of aircraft, and is a graduate of the US Air Force Test Pilot School.
"Tom has both the strategic, leadership, and interpersonal skills necessary to run Hermeus' flight test organization at scale, as well as the systems-thinking, hands-on experience, and technical chops to help steer and contribute to engineering as we build Quarterhorse in 2022," said Skyler Shuford, Founder and COO at Hermeus. "We're proud to have him join our team and help guide our mission of bringing operational hypersonic flight to fruition."
ABOUT HERMEUS
Hermeus is a venture-backed startup with the long-term vision of transforming the global human transportation network with Mach 5 aircraft. At Mach 5, travel is not just supersonic, it's hypersonic. At these speeds – over 3,000 miles per hour – flight times from New York to London will be 90 minutes rather than seven hours. Mach 5 aircraft have the potential to create an additional four trillion dollars of global economic growth per year, unlocking significant resources that can be utilized to solve the world’s great problems.
Contact: info@hermeus.com