Description
Summary
Aerospace engineer with 25 years of experience in design and analysis of primary and secondary aircraft structure. Extensive experience using a variety of CAD software programs to create part, assembly, and repair drawings. Have experience with the following airframes: Airbus A321; Bell 205; CASA C-212; Daher Aerospace – Kodiak 100; Bombardier – Global Express 7500; Fairchild Republic – A-10; Gulfstream – GV, G550, G650; Bombardier Shorts SD3-60; Textron – Cessna – 172, Model 525; Beechcraft – Premier 390, King Air 90, King Air 200.
Academic and Training Background
- BS, Mechanical Engineering, Montana State University – Bozeman, Montana
- Fundamentals of Project Management for Aerospace Professionals, University of Kansas (KU)
- Aircraft Structural Loads: Requirements, Analysis, Testing and Certification, KU
- Sustainment and Continued Airworthiness for Aircraft Structures, KU
- T&E 4106 Loads and Flutter, National Test Pilot School
- Course 21811, Aircraft Alterations and Repair, FAA
- Course 21019, Aviation Safety Engineer/Airframe Job functions, FAA
- Structural Integrity of New and Aging Metallic Aircraft, UCLA
- Systems Planning, Research, Development & Engineering, Level II, DAU
Professional Experience
RTI Group, LLC. Stevensville, MD, Aerospace Engineer, April 2024 – Present
- Support a multidisciplinary technical services consultancy specializing in accident and
- failure investigation serving clients representing high-exposure industries and transportation operations worldwide.
- Senior-level mechanical, aerospace, and materials engineering objective investigations and technical audits and provide both proactive and reactive practical solutions to private and public sector clients.
- Airframe matters with cases involving transport category (Airbus A321 and Gulfstream G500,550,650) and general aviation (light aircraft from Cessna, Kodiak, and Beechcraft).
- Specialize in aerial firefighting mission and impact on aircraft structures, primary and secondary structure design and repair and working relationship with the NTSB.
Tern Aero LLC, Boise, ID, Owner / Engineer, June 2019 – Present
- SD3-60 Sherpa wing rib repair, static stress analysis, and create AutoCAD repair drawings.
- Design and generate AutoCAD drawings for medical cooler carrier assemblies.
- Develop drawings for avionics cabinets, wiring diagrams, and WiFi installations using AutoCAD.
- Develop static strength analysis and document results in formal stress reports.
- Perform technical reviews of static stress reports. Recommend changes to analysis techniques where needed.
- Calculate fatigue life on repairs to aircraft structure to meet extended service life goals.
- MRB – Review non-conformances; provide repair dispositions with stress analysis substantiations.
U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Boise, ID, Aerospace Engineer, January 2011 – March 2019
- Reviewed contractor aircraft airtanker mission engineering analysis to ensure airworthiness was maintained while flying on contract.
- Managed the Operational Loads Monitoring (OLM) program for the USFS fleet aircraft and contracted aircraft. This program collects operational usage data of aircraft flying in the firefighting environment.
- Maintained agency owned FAA Supplemental Type Certificates (STC).
- Program manager for the Shorts SD3-60 Sherpa aircraft smoke jumping structural modification. Efforts resulted in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) STC approval under 14 CFR Part 25.
- Collaborated with aircraft manufacturers, Textron and Bombardier Shorts, to increase safety by recommending modified structural inspection intervals based on OLM usage data.
- Performed as a Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (Level III).
- Developed contract specifications and statements of work.
DoD, U.S. Air Force, Hill AFB, UT, Structures Engineer, August 2004 – January 2011
- Lead structures engineer for the aging A-10 Thunderbolt II. Provided team guidance to design and implement life-extending structural repairs to maintain fleet readiness and airworthiness. Reviewed repair dispositions to ensure they were feasible, producible, and free of errors before sending to the mechanics.
- Liaison Engineer where I teamed with the mechanics on the shop floor of the repair to clarify engineering repair dispositions. My presence on the floor reduced the repair time of the mechanics and resulted in higher throughput.
- Lead engineer for Interchangeability IPT and Tooling IPT on A-10 Wing Replacement Program. Successfully ensured that key interfaces (i.e. center to outer wing mating surface, wing to fuselage attach points, main landing gear attach points) of new production wings interchanged with the existing fleet.
Anteon Corporation, Fairfax, VA, Structures Engineer, October 2003 – August 2004
- A-10 Structures engineer. Designed and performed stress analysis for repairs to damaged structure on aircraft. Wrote flap track repair and installation instructions for the A-10 structural repair manual. Required a good knowledge of manufacturing materials and their properties.
- Compiled technical data packages for parts no longer in production to ensure vendors have a complete set of requirements to build parts from. Worked with first article test shop to ensure that parts conformed to requirements of the technical data package.
Quest Aircraft Design, LLC (Daher Aerospace), Sandpoint, ID, Structures Engineer, July 1999 – July 2003
- Performed layout and design of primary/secondary aircraft fuselage structure, control surfaces, and calculated engine loads to meet 14 CFR Part 23 standards. Parts were sheet metal and machined structural components designed using SolidWorks.
- Created complex parts, assemblies, fabrication drawings, and bill of materials (BOM). Performed part stress analysis by hand and using FEA for optimal design. Delegated work to draftsmen including design concepts of parts for modeling, detail drawings of parts and assemblies.
- Wrote flap track roller contact stress analysis report and engine loads report for submission to the FAA.
- Spearheaded company processes and procedures for designing sheet metal part flat patterns and forming dies.
- Defined surface loft of forward fuselage and designed flap assembly fixture using SolidWorks.