Joshua D. Bird

Plant Engineer

Joshua D. Bird is a Plant Engineer at 3M and a former U.S. Air Force pilot who built his approach to leadership and safety in military aviation before carrying it into manufacturing. He flew the KC-10 Extender as an aircraft commander and instructor pilot, served in the U-2 program, and now applies that same discipline to engineering teams and critical operations.

The Flight Path

Joshua D. Bird graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in Management and went on to train as a military pilot. He flew the KC-10 Extender, holding roles as an aircraft commander and instructor pilot, and served as a Squadron Flight Safety Representative and Deputy Chief of Squadron Safety. Those safety roles were not an aside to flying; they were built into how the squadron operated, and they shaped how he thinks about risk, process, and accountability. He later earned selection to the U-2 program, serving as a mission pilot and training officer.

That background carried directly into his work at 3M, where he has held positions of increasing responsibility in production and maintenance before becoming Plant Engineer. He leads maintenance and engineering teams responsible for manufacturing operations, capital projects, equipment reliability, and regulatory compliance. The questions are different from a flight line, but the discipline is the same: clear standards, dependable people, and a constant check on whether the work is actually safe and actually sound.

He holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate, has logged more than 2,600 hours of flight time, and stays active in the aviation community through membership in AOPA and Freeflight Aviation. He has said that aviation taught him learning never stops, regardless of experience level, and that the question "what could I have done better" is one worth asking regularly. That standard applies equally to a cockpit and a plant floor.