James E. Brown III

James E. Brown III (born August 15, 1954) is a former aerospace executive, test pilot instructor, and United States Air Force officer. At the end of 2024, Brown retired from the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, California where he served as president since 2022.

Previously, Brown was the vice president, chief operating officer, and test pilot instructor at the National Test Pilot School. Previously, he was the chief of flight operations for the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. He also served as the chief test pilot for the F-22 Raptor program stationed at Edwards Air Force Base in California where he performed activities including avionics testing, flight envelope expansion, and the creation of procedural flight manuals for the Air Force. He was also the chief test pilot for the F-117 Nighthawk. Brown is a Fellow and past president of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) and is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.