Tom "Mach" Schnell has been approved as a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SEPT). 

The international organization has approximately 2,500 members. SETP was founded in 1955 in Lancaster, near Edwards Air Force Base on California's high desert. The society seeks to promote air safety and contributes to aeronautical advancement by fostering sound aeronautical design and development; interchanging ideas, thoughts and suggestions of the members, assisting in the professional development of experimental flight test.

Schnell holds numerous titles at the University of Iowa. He is the Capt. Jim "Max" Gross Chair in Engineering, director and chief test pilot of the Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL), professor of industrial and systems engineering, and associate director of the Iowa Technology Institute. 

Specializing in human factors and ergonomics, Schnell has been the principal investigator on 410 projects totaling over $35 million in funding. He has authored or co-authored over 140 technical papers. Schnell is a commercial pilot, experimental test pilot, and flight instructor with helicopter, jet, and glider ratings.