John Tougas

Boeing Experimental Test Pilot

John “Toonces” Tougas is a Boeing Experimental Test Pilotbased at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD and flies the F/A-18Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler and P-8A Poseidon aircraft performing technology research, developmental, production. John is Boeing’s lead air show pilot in the F/A-18 Super Hornet and has performed air displays in front of large international crowds throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He has more than 4000 hours of flight time in over 40 different military and civilian aircraft including the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Viper, F/A-18 Hornet, B-1B Lancer, various helicopters, gliders, float planes and even WWII war birds. He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Maryland Civil Air Patrol, a member of the Tailhook Association with over 660 traps on 7 aircraft carriers and holds the Office of Secretary on the Board of Directors for the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.

Toonces joined Boeing in 2009 after retiring from the Navy following a 20-year flying combat missions over Iraq in the F/A-18 during 3 operational tours and served 3 tours as a Navy Test Pilot testing F/A-18 aircraft and weapon system upgrades and 1 tour with the U.S. Air Force as the Navy exchange pilot flying high performance classified prototype aircraft. He is a 1988 Georgia Tech graduate where he earned a degree in Aerospace Engineering. Following earning his Navy pilot wings of gold, he returned to Tech for his Master’s degree in 1991. In 1997, Toonces graduated with class 111 from the United States Navy Test Pilot School.

During John’s 19 years of flight test, John has developed and refined a unique skillset that includes: keen sense of situational awareness, risk assessment and analysis of alternatives, time critical decision making, optimizing performance under intense physical and mental conditions, compartmentalization, time, energy and stress management skills that are directly transferrable to any highly competitive endeavor demanding peak performance

As a Boeing Test Pilot, John has presented to a wide spectrum of U.S. audiences and in countries throughout Europe and Asia. He is a member of the character development team for the Maryland Civil Air Patrol and a regular presenter for the Junior Tennis Champions Center at the College Park Tennis Club.

Toonces married Chie Yamase of Chigasaki, Japan following and they have two sons, Kai and Taiyo.