Colonel David L. Magness began flying in 1993, earning his civilian flight certificate in 1994. After graduating from Polytech High School on the Eastern Shore, he earned his commission from Marion Military Institute (MMI) in 1997. 

He served in the DEARNG in the Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (MPAD) for two years while earning his BA in English Journalism from the University of Delaware. COL Magness assessed into the active Army in 1999 and completed Army helicopter flight school in 2000. He served in Alaska and Iraq as a CH-47 Pilot-In-Command (PiC) and later as a Maintenance Test Pilot (MTP), conducting missions in Thailand, the Arctic Circle, and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) 3. 

In 2006, he joined the MDARNG as a Federal Technician, followed by Active Guard Reserve (AGR) service. Over the next 18 years, COL Magness served as the AASF commander, Det 2 B/642 Aviation Support Battalion (ASB) Commander, A/1-224 Security & Support (S&S) Commander, Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group (TASMG) TF-11 Det 4 Commander, and as the 1-224th S&S Battalion Commander. He also served as the 1-224th S&S and 29th CAB Executive Officer/Administrative Officer for over seven years.

For the past two years, COL Magness has served outside of his branch as the MDARNG Deputy Chief of Staff Personnel. He is currently the Maryland Army National Guard Chief of Staff and the Commander of the 29th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade (ECAB). His flight positions have included OH-58A/C PiC, UH-60 MTP, and CH-47D/F Instructor Pilot and MTP, accumulating more than 2000 actual flight hours and earning his Master Army Aviation wings. He has completed three combat deployments, earning two Bronze Stars and two Air Medals. 

COL Magness holds a Master’s in Aviation and a Doctorate in Technology from Purdue University. He and his wife Sara have three children: Samantha, Athena, and Kodiak.