Muldoon Set To Relieve Croisetiere As Heavy Lift Helo Program
Manager
Capt. Rick Muldoon will take the
helm of the Heavy Lift Helicopter program office following a change
of command ceremony held in the atrium of the PAX River William B.
Moffett building Jan. 25. Muldoon, currently serving as the Deputy
for Operations for Program Executive Officer Air ASW, Assault &
Special Mission Programs, will succeed Col. Paul Croisetiere, a
1977 U.S. Naval Academy graduate.
Croisetiere (pictured below), a United States Naval Test Pilot,
will be retiring from the United Sates Marine Corps with 30 years
of distinguished service. Having served in all three active Marine
Aircraft Wings, Croisetiere has more than 3,800 flight hours in 40
different aircraft series.
Muldoon, a Newington, Conn. native and 1984 U.S. Naval Academy
graduate, began his naval aviation career in 1985 at Helicopter
Mine Countermeasures Squadron Twelve. Serving in HM-16 and HM-15,
Muldoon transitioned to the MH-53E Sea Dragon, where he was
selected to participate in the PACEX 89 deployment on board the USS
Tripoli, the first fleet deployment of the MH-53E. Following HM-16,
Muldoon was given a special assignment as a Foreign Military Sales
Instructor Pilot for the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force in
Iwakuni, Japan.
Subsequently reporting to HM-12, in Norfolk, Va., Muldoon served
as a CH/MH-53E Instructor Pilot, Quality Assurance Officer and Wing
Mine Warfare Tactics. Muldoon deployed with HM-14 to the Persian
Gulf for Desert Storm, where he flew over 50 combat hours in the
tactical application of Airborne Mine Countermeasures against the
Iraqi mine threat. After attending the Empire Test Pilot School in
Boscombe Down, UK., Muldoon was designated Engineering Test
Pilot.
Serving as both Engineering Test Pilot and Navy/Marine Corps
H-53 platform coordinator for the Rotary Wing Aircraft Test
Squadron in Patuxent River, Md., Muldoon conducted flight tests in
numerous Navy and Marine Corps helicopters, with primary
responsibility for MH-53E testing.
Selected into the Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer community,
Muldoon (pictured above) then served as the H-53 Avionics Project
Officer for the Naval Air Systems Command focusing on leading a
multi-platform, interdisciplinary government/contractor team in the
acquisition of the Integrated Mechanical Diagnostic System, a
health and usage monitor for all Navy/Marine Corps helicopters.
Upon completion of a Masters of Science Degree in Systems
Engineering and Integration at the Naval Postgraduate School,
Muldoon was awarded the 2001 Northrop Grumman Faculty Award for
Excellence in Systems Engineering and Integration. Returning to
NAVAIR Muldoon served as the E-6B Deputy Program Manager for System
Development and Demonstration until his promotion into his current
position.
Muldoon has logged flight time in more than 41 unique aircraft
and holds a world helicopter speed record, set in June 1993. In
addition, he has received numerous accolades for acquisition reform
leadership and was recognized as the Naval Air Warfare Center,
Aircraft Division 1994 Test Pilot of the Year.
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