Acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without the help of many colleagues and friends. The following reviewed portions of the text and provided valuable input: Patty (Bartels) Bath of AVISTA, Jim Chelini of VEROCEL, Andrew Elliott of Design Assurance, Kelly Hayhurst of NASA’s Langley Research Center, Wendy Ljungren of GE Aviation, Jeff Knickerbocker of Sunrise Certification, George Romanski of VEROCEL, Andrew Kornecki of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Fred Strathmann of Springton Technologies, Steven VanderLeest of DornerWorks, and Dan Veerhusen who retired from Rockwell Collins. Thanks to each of you for your time and your friendship. You challenged my thinking and made the text better.
This book would have never been conceivable without those who mentored, guided, and opened doors of opportunity for me early in my career. There are too many to name, but I’m especially indebted to the following:
Milt Sills, former vice president of engineering at Cessna Aircraft Company. He mentored me and stoked my love of aviation. He passed away in 2003 but continues to have a daily influence on my life.
Jim Peterson, retired FAA systems and equipment branch manager at the Wichita Aircraft Certification Office. Jim recruited me to the FAA and instilled in me a passion to stand up for what’s right no matter what the cost.
Elizabeth Erickson, retired FAA director of Aircraft Certification Services and currently with Erickson Aviation Services. Beth believed in me and mentored me in challenging times at FAA headquarters in Washington, District of Columbia.
Cheryl Dorsey, owner of Digital Flight. Cheryl recruited me into the ranks of software engineer at FAA headquarters. My background was avionics systems and electronic hardware, but Cheryl realized my potential and ignited my desire for safe software.
Mike DeWalt, FAA’s chief scientific technical advisor for aircraft computer software. Mike guided me when I was very young and inexperienced.
I am also grateful to RTCA, Inc. I’ve been privileged to serve on five committees—in leadership roles on three of them. RTCA has been very supportive of this book and generous to grant permission for references and quotes. You can learn more about RTCA, Inc. or purchase their documents by contacting them at
RTCA, Inc.
1150 18th Street NW Suite 910
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 833-9339
Fax: (202) 833-9434
Web: www.rtca.org
Thanks also to my dear friends Susan Corcoran and Denise Polansky who helped with the final stages of this effort, to the team who prayed for me through to the finish line, and to the staff at Taylor & Francis Group for their support and help. Nora Konopka, Jill Jurgensen, and Glenon Butler have been terrific.
MATLAB® and Simulink® are registered trademarks of The MathWorks, Inc. For product information, please contact:
The MathWorks, Inc.
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