Colton "Colt" Thompson
The University of Iowa
Operator Performance Laboratory
Iowa City, IA 52242
Telephone: (319) 248-1100
Homepage
Colton Thompson is a Research Associate at the Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL). He recieved his Bachelor's of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Iowa State University in 2018 and began working at the OPL shortly thereafter. In the fall of 2019, he began working towards his Masters of Science in the Industrial and Systems Engineering program at the University of Iowa while working full time at OPL.
At Iowa State, Colton helped design, optimize, and fabricate a working scale model of a prototype VTOL cargo lifting aircraft as his senior design project, which was funded and supported by Boeing. Since joining the team at OPL, Colton has helped support research studies, aircraft operation & maintenance, and data collection & analysis. He has been a part of flight test operations utilizing OPL's L-29 and Mi-2 aircraft in single ship and multiple ship LVC projects, as well as operations aboard Air Force C-17 aircraft alongside the 418th Flight Test Squadron. Additionally, Colton has trained as an HQ-90B (UAV) Air Vehicle Operator 2 and assisted as ground support in multiple unmanned flight tests.
In day-to-day operations at OPL Colton alson has experience with design and fabrication using 3-D modeling and finite element analysis, as well as 3-D printing and CNC milling. He has worked closely in the installation and use of eye-tracking technology for simulator and airborne research, and is experienced in the collection of data using OPL's CATS software. Additionally, Colton helps in the ground support operations of OPL aircraft such as fueling, maintenance, and technical support of onboard computer systems.