Nick Olmsted
Sales & Marketing, Business Development
Summary
Multi-hatted in technical, engineering and management roles in complex organizations. Experienced in successful completions of aircraft projects, both hands-on and over-sighting activities for Aircraft modifications. Skilled in project conception and product development, systems engineering, work breakdown structures, program management and project engineering, certification, systems safety analysis and testing, and integrating information flow across departments and data systems. Trainer and educator in the STC and FAA project process. Participated in over 200 aircraft STC & TC projects on Airbus & Boeing & many other aircraft and rotorcraft as leading project focal for both engineering and certification activities. Lead ODA administrator in one of the most dynamic, growing and successful ODAs, covering both PMA and STC, issuing over 20 STCs in each of the last 4 years. Very familiar with foreign validation process and experienced with numerous foreign civil aviation authorities. Experienced FAA DER (electrical and management). Change initiator in organizations, departments and projects. Dynamic innovator with broad experience in aviation certification, operational support, quality, engineering & project management, program management, knowledge management & communications, physical security, logistics, training, combat weapon systems, administration and engineering operations. Retired Naval Officer. Technically competent, organizationally savvy, innovative.
Education
Master’s Degree in Political Science, Lausanne University, Switzerland, 1995. (awarded competitive US Navy Scholarship to attend this prestigious graduate program, completing work in French, while on active duty)
Bachelor’s Degree in Systems Engineering, U.S. Naval Academy, 1985, graduating with distinction.
Qualifications
FAA DER (Electrical Systems and Management), delivering numerous complex aircraft modifications since 2007, in Parts 25, 27, 29. EWIS & Systems Safety qualified.
Naval expertise in Combat Weapon Systems, shipboard operations, satellite communications, naval engineering and logistics.
Software
Very familiar with MS Office, Visio, Project, Excel, network environments, relational data bases, financial concepts & tools, AutoCAD, ERP systems, wikis, network tools, data extraction and reduction, systems integration, training. Capable of self-teaching any new software tool and creatively adapting and integrating these tools to meet team needs, and training the team to use them effectively. Demonstrated ability to align data systems and operational procedures for better operations coupled with metric generation.
Security
Retired US Naval Officer with Top Secret security background investigation; this will support a TS clearance in any future assignment.
Languages
French, German, and Italian
Experience:
Aviation Safety (2019-02-15 – present)
Lead ODA Administrator in KILROY AVIATION, an Organization Designation Authorization company providing STC certification services. Kilroy, using FAA-approved processes, provides speed to clients through innovative best practices and integrated training for all facets of aircraft certification, integrated with manufacturing, maintenance and flight operational requirements. www.kilroy.faaoda.com
Aviation Engineering and Consulting (2013-01-15 – present)
FAA-consultant DER (delegated engineering representative) as Principal in a private consulting company. Guided engineering efforts, providing review and FAA approvals on projects and specifically on electrical systems information for installs in large transport aircraft, helicopters and UAVs, planning, coordinating, managing projects, solving regulatory challenges, writing test plans and witnessing tests. Significant expertise as a Management DER, program management and systems engineering, product development and STC – project training. Tackled and solved a challenging issue involving supernumeraries in 747 cargo aircraft, via Exemptions. www.SouthBranchDER.com
Aerospace Program Management (2013-04-03 – 2019-01-15)
Lead ODA Administrator for STC and PMA ODA at ALOFT AeroArchitects (formerly PATS Aircraft Systems, LLC) in an aircraft modification completion facility, working Boeing, Airbus, and other aircraft modifications in parts 23,25,27,and 29. In charge of 7 direct employees and 90 additional senior aviation professionals (DARs, DERs as Unit Members) in an Organization Designation Authorization (ODA). Annual growth in projects completed with STCs issued climbed significantly during this period (from 2012/5 issued STCs, 2013/10, 2014/11, 2015/23, 2016/27, 2017/24, 2018/28). Made significant qualitative improvements to processes that helped grow the business and capability to include adding parts 27 & 29, creating an EWIS ICA acceptance & approval process, an ICA Validation Process, and an AFMS review process to take on additional delegations. At the same time as increased activity, discrepancies in FAA audits and supervisory visits dropped significantly. As leader of the company ODA Business Unit, I re-molded the sales contact, bid and project execution processes to increase revenues six-fold over this time period.
Created and ran an STC Academy to train ALOFT and Client team members in the part 21 STC process. Lead an ALOFT Continuous Improvement event to re-tool the entire STC process to both increase efficiency as well as lay the foundation for Applicant Showing Only (ASO) compliance. Participated with GAMA, AIA and the FAA in the 2016 re-write of The FAA and Industry Guide to Product Certification.
Aviation Program Management (2007-07-15 – 2013-03-05)
As Vice President, Program Manager, Director in both Certification and Engineering, I conceived, planned, and managed assigned projects to successful & profitable completion. Responsible for positive profit on assigned projects as program manager. Assembled and trained teams of diverse personnel in multiple disciplines; orchestrated complex projects to success. Each project was a custom modification, installing state of the art cabin innovations and technology in Boeing and Airbus aircraft. Planned both technical and program management facets of project; established policies, procedures and knowledge management tools that spanned boundaries both inside the company and with outside partners, starting with performance work statement, developing a detailed work breakdown structure (systems engineering), integrated master schedule and plan, financial and personnel resourcing plans, detailed technical solutions to include engineering, fabrication, procurement, installation and quality control inspections , organizational quality assurance, technical proof of compliance through analysis and testing, and integration of data management solutions to include AutoCAD, ERP systems, MS Project, and performance metrics. Led project engineering execution in direct coordination with procurement/ production/ quality departments during fabrication, installation and testing phases of numerous projects. Two of these projects each included greater that 150,000 engineering hours and over 300,000 production labor hours of work.
Aerospace Engineering & Certification
Director of Certification for BaySys Technologies (2005-06-01 – 2013-03-04 overlap with other duties). Established and trained certification and engineering teams from startup in 2005 to a company executing Engineering, Certification, Manufacture (PMA), Installation (repair station) and test, having over 350 employees at top end. FAA-certified Management & Electrical Systems Designated Engineering Representative (DER) since December 2007. Directly responsible for fourteen supplemental type certificate (STC) projects on Airbus and Boeing aircraft that engineered, installed & certified as safe custom interiors and in-flight entertainment systems, my responsibilities including planning, guiding, analyzing and testing engineering solutions on multiple decisions and systems to ensure designs fully met safety requirements as well as function, then ensuring production work and testing showed compliance to the necessary regulations as well as met customer requirements. Successful STC projects as certification lead with FAA and company include 747, 777, 767, 757, 737, A340, A319. Interacted as primary point of contract with the FAA as well as Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA) from Europe (EASA) and several countries, contracted for and coordinated experts from Engineering/ Inspection as well as other FAA designees (DERs/DARs) and guided production & quality departments to ensure final product both met customer approval and regulatory safety requirements. On the recent Boeing 787 Type Certificate program for electric brakes, hired/coordinated DER & DAR activities and conducted data reviews, test plan writing and witnessing of DO-160 environmental and system functional verification testing in order to fully qualify the innovative electro-mechanical brake system for a Boeing supplier, as the first all-electrical brake on a Part 25 commercial aircraft. Authored certification and testing plans for the innovative Eclipse Concept Jet and participated as a core of the engineering team that designed, fabricated and assembled this concept Very Light Jet in secret. For each STC project, I authored STC FAA certification plans, FAA conformity inspection plans, exemptions, issue papers, system safety assessments, analyses, conformity plans, equipment & ground & flight test plans, flight manual supplements, instructions for continued airworthiness, various electrical analyses; reviewed and edited data, completed & approved testing results and approved analyses & reports; conducted Quality-Schedule-Cost risk management analyses and decisions; hired and coordinated DERs/DARs and reviewed all compliance reports to orchestrate numerous STC aircraft modification projects. Configured, troubleshot, programmed and successfully tested installations of aircraft communications including Inmarsat, Iridium, telephone PBX, network, wireless LAN, Public address, ordnance signage and related systems. Very comfortable in AutoCAD as CAD systems administer; tailored enterprise AutoCAD systems to meet company processes. Tailored company ERP system to mate with AutoCAD systems to improve data-to-parts transition and control. (2005-present).
Quality
Vice President for Systems & Integration (2008-01-15 – 2013-03-04). Driving force behind achievement of FAA Part 145 Repair Station, writing manuals and establishing the company repair station and quality control inspection policies, procedures and teams. Authored Parts Manufacture Authority (PMA) manuals and shepherded achievement of FAA PMA certificates at two facilities. Authored Repair Station manuals and shepherded achievement of FAA Part 145 Repair Station certificates at two facilities. Authored FAA Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) organization, manuals and submission to FAA. Separate from the more limited scope of quality control inspections, I established a standalone company Quality Management System to provide Quality Assurance oversight of all company processes, writing the core manuals under the umbrella of AS9100 and guiding company compliance with this aerospace standard for quality. Processes impacted included Program Management, Systems Engineering, Quality Assurance (organizational), Quality Control (inspections), Engineering Data (AutoCAD & database management), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Resource Management (CRM), Human Resources, and all organizational departments. Codified company manuals and procedures under a core process aimed at accomplishing the core competency, FAA Part 21 STC modifications. Modified Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Engineering Data Base systems to match company quality processes, improve accuracy and ensure schedule. Developed, improved and tailored collaborative tools and knowledge management databases to match company processes established under the QA umbrella. Responsible for integration of Information Systems across engineering, operations and finance/admin groups in aerospace company (2007-2012).
US Naval Officer (1985-05-22 – 2005-05-31)
Numerous duties
Communications & Information Systems
Operations Officer for all Naval communications data systems in Europe, responsible for operation of all computer networks, telephone, radio, combat systems data links, VIP aircraft communications and satellite communications systems for the US Sixth Fleet and over 14,000 US Navy personnel in the Atlantic Ocean, Europe and Africa during combat operations in the Balkans, North Africa and the Second Gulf War. Established a ground breaking communications support presence at all European Naval Bases during the 2nd Gulf War to support of transient troops through innovative resourcing strategies and organization leadership, coordinating numerous bases, communications stations and support groups. Tailored the senior Admiral’s plane with V-VIP secure voice, video and data communications suite.(2002-05).
Physical Security
Navy’s leading security officer for the Mediterranean. Oversaw 700 security personnel at nine overseas bases following the USS COLE attack and 9-11. Established new harbor security programs, coordinating with host nations to create and build new defensive systems combined with port survey programs to greatly improve warship security. This new effort required significant planning and resource coordination across DOD and USN budgets. Conceived and inaugurate a ground-breaking aircraft security scheme. (2001-02).
Logistics
Operations Officer for European Naval logistics during combat operations in Kosovo/Serbia. Orchestrated resupply of fuel, ammunition, commodities, spare parts, and personnel to over one hundred US and NATO warships in combat, controlling key logistical elements in support of all many differing goals. Ensured no Naval asset went “empty”. Conceived and established an international deconfliction scheme in the Adriatic to successfully prevent friendly-fire combat incidents. (1999-2000).
Administration
Executive assistant to Navy Admiral in charge of 9 bases, overseeing 14000 Navy personnel in Europe. Due to my performance during the Kosovo conflict, I was hand-picked while an O-4 Lieutenant Commander to directly relieve an O-6 Navy Captain, an officer two grades senior, successfully serving in this position for 18 months. Directly supervised administrative and personnel issues for 250 personnel while coordinating three separate staffs and their O6 commanders, as well as filling dual NATO roles. (2000-01).
Engineering Plant
Chief Engineer on a US Navy warship; successfully trained over 90 personnel to safely operate all engineering equipment on a six-month deployment for humanitarian operations. Achieved a rare two-year certification during an inspection of material and training status, which was achieved while deployed (even more rare). Qualified Engineering Officer on Gas Turbine & Steam plants. (1989-91).
Combat Weapon Systems
Responsible for weapons & communications gear on two Navy warships as primary warfare advisor and senior watch officer. Special Weapons Inspector. Ordnance officer of guided missile cruiser, in charge of guns, missiles (Standard/ Harpoon/ Tomahawk), torpedoes and electronic warfare systems. Special Weapons Inspector for the Navy. (1985-1998 in numerous at-sea and shore Naval billets). Established innovative training programs for my department and the entire ship, consistently achieve above average scores on all inspections and events.