Friends, family and colleagues gathered aboard Naval Air Station Patuxent River to witness a change of command at Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Zero (VX-20) May 16.

Cmdr. Jason Rider turned over command of the 420-member squadron to Cmdr. William Selk, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, during the ceremony held in hangar 306.

“This squadron has done amazing work,” said Rear Adm. Mark Darrah, commander of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. “The thing we need to keep in mind is that they were able to do this work during incredibly uncertain times. This squadron did not miss a beat. It takes leadership. It takes people standing up front, giving guidance, being calm, providing the structure and focus people need to do the right thing, and [Cmdr. Rider] has done that with incredible results.”

Under Rider’s leadership — which began Nov. 15, 2012 — the squadron successfully completed 387 test projects, 6,000 sorties and 18,400 flight hours. He also guided the VX-20 P-8A Poseidon integrated test team through the system development and demonstration phase.

Rider shared credit for his success with various members of the VX-20 leadership team. “It’s the department heads, the platform coordinators, the [leading chief petty officers] who drive the mission home,” he said. “Sure, the commander sets the tone, but it’s those department heads who bring it all together. [They] are responsible for leading us on this fantastic journey.”

Rider’s next assignment will be supporting the Persistent Maritime Unmanned Aircraft Systems (PMA-262) program office at Patuxent River, Maryland.

During the ceremony, Rider turned over command to Selk, the VX-20 chief test pilot. Selk has flown more than 2,600 hours in 18 different aircraft. His personal decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal (Strike/Fighter), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.  Selk graduated from the Naval Academy in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree in systems engineering. In May 2003, Selk was selected to the United States Naval Test Pilot School cooperative program. He earned a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, O