Aviation System Safety Expert Witness

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• Served as Team Leader for FAA’s Technical Assistance Team to aid the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority in obtaining FAA’s Category One status
• Taught courses at FAA’s Center for Management Leadership, the Department of Transportation’s Transportation Safety Institute, and the FAA Academy.
• Assigned to FAA’s Air Transportation Oversight Office (ATOS-CMO) responsible for writing and revising Safety Attribute Inspections (SAIs) and Element Performance Inspections (EPIs)in conjunction with FAR 121 certifications.
• Served as adjunct faculty in the Aerospace department at Middle Tennessee State University teaching undergraduate courses Flight Safety, and Crew Resource Management.
• Experience as International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) auditor
• Former Aerospace faculty at Auburn University and Middle Tennessee State University
• S. Department of Transportation “Senior Air Safety Investigator” certificate number 236
• S. Aviation Law Diploma, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Safety Officer, Aerospace Department, Middle Tennessee State University (over 600 students, 50 airplanes, 100 FAA Certified Flight Instructors)
• Air Charter Safety Foundation (ASCF) auditor.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Aviation Consultant – Since March 2010
  Consulting with foreign civil aviation authorities, air carriers, air agencies, corporate flight departments and other aviation entities worldwide. Providing advice and training, serving as subject matter expert, technical advisor, conducting regulatory compliance and safety audits (including IS-BAO and IOSA audits), developing training and technical manuals, serving as an expert witness and other consulting services concerning accidents, incidents, and regulatory matters. IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) auditor and Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) auditor. Served as contract employee as Quality Assurance specialist for Delta Airlines.
  Middle Tennessee State University
• Aviation Safety Officer – July 2021-February 2022
  Responsible for safety risk management of airport and flight operations within the Department of Aerospace. Responsibilities include advocating and leading efforts to ensure compliance with safe operations, developing, implementing, and managing all aspects of the FAA Safety Management Systems (SMS) Voluntary Program within the Department of Aerospace, promoting the establishment of a robust, effective, and non-punitive just safety culture, maintaining an integrated safety standard operating procedure, dynamic tracking, performance monitoring, flight data monitoring, and an analysis system in compliance with policies, regulations, and the SMS.
• Supervisory Aviation Safety Inspector (2007-2010)
  Detailed to FAA’s Washington, DC Headquarters’ International Programs and Policy Division conducting technical assistance and technical reviews and audits of foreign countries’ civil aviation authorities attempting to comply with international aviation safety standards. Conducted ICAO approved government aviation safety training classes and provided on-the-job training and other assistance to civil aviation authorities worldwide.
• Aviation Safety Inspector (2004-2007)
  Certification Surveillance and Evaluation Team (CSET) Inspector; serve as national technical expert regarding specific aircraft and airline procedures and policies related to certification and evaluation of part-121 air carriers. Provide expertise and technical guidance, ensuring standardization and consistent application of agency guidelines.
• Supervisory Aviation Safety Inspector (1990-2004)
  Managed all operational aspects of the Nashville, Tennessee Flight Standards District Office (FSDO); supervised inspectors tasked with maintenance, avionics, and operations. Planned, defined, and managed budget; reallocated resources among projects and programs to ensure attainment of budget objectives. Accountable for aviation safety related activities; developed field office policies and procedures regarding versatile environment of air carrier, foreign air carrier surveillance, general aviation, ATOS, certificate management functions, and various special multi-organizational projects and activities. Supervised personnel: managed human resource functions including training, scheduling, performance evaluations, approval of all subordinate employees work and reports, and corrective/disciplinary actions.
• Aviation Safety Inspector (1986-1990)
  Functioned as the primary operations interface between assigned air carriers/air operators/air agencies/airmen/designees and the Federal Aviation Administration. Responsible to assure that assigned organizations meet Federal Aviation Regulations with respect to operations programs. Determined the need for, and then established work programs for surveillance, audit, and inspection of assigned organizations. Responsible for surveillance and certification of assigned operators and to take appropriate action, including enforcement proceedings, when deficiencies were discovered. Administered flight checks for certification in airplanes and rotorcraft. Required to maintain currency in airplanes and helicopters. Served as the office’s quality assurance coordinator as a collateral duty.
• Aviation Safety Inspector (1985-1986)
  Served as Aviation Safety Inspector in the Office of Flight Operations in FAA’s Washington Headquarters responsible for recommending and justifying new or amended Federal Aviation Regulations, developing policies, standards, programs, and procedures for airmen. Developed and recommended standards, policies, procedures, and programs governing the certification, inspection, and surveillance of air carriers, air agencies, instructional, and other types of airmen. Provided a continuing review of established rules, regulations, and standards pertaining to the certification of airmen and air agencies to assure that they have maintained pace with the needs to which they are directed and that they are reasonable, necessary, and adequate. Developed, coordinated, and justified timely changes where mandated. Coordinated a wide variety of positions/policies to ensure consistent approaches and standard interpretations. Collected, verified, and assimilated information necessary to ensure integration of all issues that will directly or indirectly impact recommended strategies, tactics, or solutions to issues. Developed and reviewed for accuracy and content, safety related/technical issue papers, briefings, reports, correspondence for the Office of the Director. Responded to congressional correspondence, NTSB recommendations, Freedom of Information Act requests, etc. to ensure responses met the needs of the requester and the FAA.
• Aviation Safety Inspector (Nashville, Tennessee Flight Standards District Office, 1982-1985)
  Functioned as the primary operations interface between assigned air carriers/air operators/air agencies/airmen/designees and the Federal Aviation Administration. Responsible to assure that assigned organizations meet Federal Aviation Regulations with respect to operations programs. Determined the need for, and then established work programs for surveillance and inspection of assigned organizations. Responsible for surveillance and certification of assigned operators and to take appropriate action, including enforcement proceedings when deficiencies were discovered. Administered flight checks for certification in airplanes and rotorcraft. Served as the office’s quality assurance coordinator as a collateral duty. This collateral duty mandated that all reports be examined (accidents, incidents, enforcement actions, etc.) for correctness prior to forwarding to the appropriate office or person. Investigate accidents, incidents, reports of violations of Federal laws and regulations. Served as the government’s expert witness at National Transportation Safety Board hearings and other court proceedings.
• Aviation Safety Inspector (Instructor) (1980-1982)
  Instructor at the Federal Aviation Administration Academy, teaching FAA and non-FAA personnel in techniques and procedures of administering private, commercial, instrument, flight instructor and ATP certification flight tests. Taught in both flight and classroom phases of approved training and standardization courses offered at the FAA Academy. This included newly hired inspectors in their initial indoctrination course and experienced inspectors in recurrent and advanced courses. Responsible for continuing evaluation of each course of instruction to determine ways and means of improvement and adjustment of course objectives to fit training needs of field inspectors. Executed a detailed report of accomplishment for each student, signifying the student’s relative accomplishment of mandated outcomes.
• Aviation Safety Inspector (Juneau, AK, Flight Standards District Office, 1978-1980)
  Responsible for the planning, conduction, direction, and evaluation of Accident Prevention Programs for the district (over 25,000 square miles in Southeast Alaska). In addition, served as technical advisor to the District Office Manager and assisted in other areas of general aviation operations as required. Participated in accident investigations to develop detailed knowledge of contributing factors, causes, etc. Investigate accidents, incidents, reports of violations of Federal laws and regulations. Write reports and serve as the government’s witness in hearings and court proceedings. Conducted surveillance of air carriers and air operators to determine accident prevention suggestions and methods. Administered flight checks in airplanes and seaplanes.
• Air Traffic Control Specialist (1976-1978)
  Served as an Air Traffic Control Specialist. Independently performed the full range of operational duties, which included providing information to pilots on such matters as weather, air routes, navigational aids, and airport conditions before and during flight. Issued instrument clearances to pilots and provided emergency service to pilots in distress. Provided lost pilots with direction finding services.

EDUCATION and CREDENTIALS

• Specialist in Education, (Ed.S.) in Curriculum & Instruction – Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN
• Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Aerospace Education – Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN
• Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology – Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN
• University of Southern California Aviation Safety Certificate Program graduate, May 1991
• Embry Riddle Aeronautical University – U.S. Aviation Law Diploma, May 2003

Certifications/Licensure

• Certified International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) TRAINIAR PLUS instructor for ICAO Government Safety Inspector courses (certificate number INS-ITP-005E-2016-002)
• Certified Fraud Examiner (Association of Certified Fraud Examiners)
•  Pilot Weather Briefing Certificate, and Certificate of Authority to Take Weather Observations issued by the National Weather Service
• Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 listed General/Civil/Family Mediator
•  IS-BAO auditor (Maintenance, Operations, Advanced stage SMS, Airplane and Helicopter)
• International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Assessment (IOSA) auditor (Operations, Cabin, Dispatch)
• Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) auditor
• Graduate of University of Southern California Aviation Safety Certificate program
• Paralegal Certification (University of Tennessee)

Federal Aviation Administration Airman Certificates

• Airline Transport Pilot – Airplane Single & Multi-Engine Land, Rotorcraft: Helicopter & Gyroplane, type ratings including Lear Jet, Hawker Jet,
• Cessna Citation, Jet Commander, Sabreliner, Short 360, EMB-100, R-22, AS-360, Commercial Privileges: Airplane Single & Multi-Engine Sea, Glider
• Over 14,000 hours flight time, 1300 hours Rotorcraft (including 200 hours gyroplane) 350 hours seaplane, 3,500 hours as flight instructor.
• Flight Instructor – Airplane Single & Multi-Engine, Rotorcraft – Helicopter & Gyroplane, Instrument-Airplane and Helicopter, Glider
• Ground Instructor – Advanced and Instrument
• Air Traffic Control Specialist Certificate

Professional development and training**

• Aircraft Accident Investigation and Management (Embry Riddle Aeronautical University)
• U.S. Aviation Law (Embry Riddle Aeronautical University)
• Law of Aviation Insurance (IATA)
• Safety Management Systems (Embry Riddle Aeronautical University)
• SMS Principles (MITRE Corporation)
• IOSA auditor training course
• IS-BAO auditor training course
• Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) auditor training course
• ISO-9001-2000 Internal Auditor Training
• International Civil Aviation for Inspectors Course
• FAA Rulemaking Course
• EEO Investigator Course
• Advanced Qualification Program
• Internal Evaluation Program for Evaluators
• Aeronautical Personnel Licensing Course (ICAO approved)
• Air Transportation Oversight System (ATOS) Indoctrination
• The Role of the Technical Witness in Aviation Litigation
• Legal Aspects of Aviation Safety
• Initial and Advanced FAA Academy Instructor Training
• Aviation Safety Program Management
• Crew Resource Management (initial and recurrent)
• System Safety Course
• Tennessee Aerospace Education Workshop
• Tennessee International Aerospace Education Workshop
• Executive Aircraft Emergency Procedures & Smoke Evacuation
• Numerous Aircraft Initial and Recurrent Courses (contracted with Flight Safety International, Simuflight, SIMCOM, CAE and Commercial Airlines)
• Numerous U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol Courses including National Staff College, National Check Pilot School, and Inspector General’s College

**Comprehensive listing of over 8000 hours of formal professional development and management courses available upon request**

Honors & Awards

• Superior Contribution to Aviation Safety award issued by FAA Air Transportation Oversight System Certificate Management Office (2005)
• Superior Contribution to Aviation Safety awards issued by FAA AFS-50 (2008 and 2009)
• Federal Aviation Administration Washington Headquarters, “Commitment to People” award (2007)
• State of Tennessee Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics, “Career Contribution to Aviation” (2004)
• Tennessee Wing, Civil Air Patrol, “Commander of the Year” (1998) Federal Aviation
• Administration National Winner, “Excellence in Public Awareness” (1993)
• FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award (September 2014)
• National Business Aviation Association Safety Award for over 14,000 of accident-free Flying (2023)
• Appointed Airport Support Network Volunteer by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) for the Murfreesboro, Tennessee Airport (2011)
• “Osprey” Talon Award for lifetime achievement in the field of aviation safety from International Society of Safety Professionals, November 2022
• “Senior Air Safety Investigator” certificate awarded by U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Safety Institute, March 2023

News Media Interviews: Available upon request. 

Civic and Professional Organizations

• Charter Member, Murfreesboro Noon Lions Club
• Civil Air Patrol member over 30 years – Former Murfreesboro Squadron Commander, Tennessee Wing Inspector General, Tennessee Wing Chief Check Pilot, and Safety Officer
• Red Cross Volunteer, Instructor for CPR, AED, and First Aid
• Graduate of Leadership Rutherford (2002)
• System Safety Society
• International Society of Air Safety Investigators
• Lawyer Pilot’s Bar Association
• Society of Aviation and Flight Educators
• International Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics