Courtesy Photo | Yuma Test Center (YTC) has selected Steven Mullins as its new Flight Services Division...... read more read more
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Yuma Test Center (YTC) has selected Steven Mullins as its new Flight Services Division Chief, succeeding long-time employee Pat Franklin, who recently retired after more than 40 years in Army aviation. Mullins steps into the position, with nearly 15 years’ military aviation experience.
Mullins’ journey into the skies began with a lifelong passion for flying, saying he had wanted to be a pilot since he was a child. Though he first focused on his education, earning both a bachelor’s and a master's degree in aerospace engineering from West Virginia University before joining the U.S. Army in 2009 through the "street-to-seat" program where he commissioned as a warrant officer.
Mullins completed flight school in 2012, initially flying the now decommissioned OH-58D helicopter during his five years of active duty. In 2015, he transitioned to the National Guard, where he learned to fly UH-60 Black Hawks.
Mullins is still an active member of the National Guard today. He commutes once a month to Alaska to pilot missions.
“I have done everything from typhoon relief up there last November. I have done a couple search and rescue operations and a bunch of support of military units.”
Coincidently, Mullins' introduction to YTC came from his predecessor, Pat Franklin. The two met while attending the Black Hawk course. Franklin recognized Mullins' talent as both a pilot and an engineer and suggested he consider working at YTC.
Mullins initially worked as a test officer and engineer for TRAX when first arriving at YTC in 2016. He managed the Apache weapons testing, using his extensive Army aviation background.
“During the four years I was there I think I did, about 10 or 15 Apache tests.”
Adding, he was handed his first Apache test two weeks into his career at YTC.
“I had an advantage over the other engineers because most of them, they come straight from college to do that. I had 5 years of experience in Army aviation, so I already knew how things operated where most of them don't understand the ins and outs of getting the paperwork to go fly an aircraft, doing your briefings prior to flying the safety aspects of all of it, and how Army aviators do their day-to-day business.”
Mullins spent five years in Aviation serving as a team lead in Air Delivery and eventually transitioned into Flight Services as an aircraft pilot in early 2025.
As the new Flight Services Division Chief, Mullins oversees three fellow pilots, an equipment specialist, a radio specialist, a quality assurance inspector, and the airfield manager. He also serves as the division's Instructor Pilot, managing flight evaluations and training requirements for the team.
For Mullins, the greatest appeal of working at YTC is its completely unique mission noting, “There’s only two other places in the Army that do some of the stuff that we do.”
He goes on to explain, “No normal Army pilot can say, ‘yeah I go do video chase on an Apache test and watch them shoot Hellfires.’”
The mission at YTC, testing equipment for the warfighters allows Army civilians to see developmental warfighting solutions.
As he takes the control wheel, Mullins stays focused on continuing the work of his predecessor and mentor.“A lot of the goodness of my life today is because of Pat [Franklin],”Mullins shared. “He was always wanting to help. He was a great mentor.”
| Date Taken: | 07.09.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2026 10:16 |
| Story ID: | 569486 |
| Location: | ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 5 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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