Joel Heck, Textron Aviation, Regulatory Compliance Leader – Structural Integrity & Propellers

Joel Heck is a Principal Engineer at Textron Aviation, manufacturer of Cessna, Beechcraft and McCauley products.  Joel has always had a fascination of flight which started as a kid designing and building radio-controlled airplanes and grew into a career immersed in aviation. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, he has spent his 24 year career in structures engineering at Textron working many structural airplane design and certification programs including the Citation X, Citation XL, Citation Mustang, Citation M2, Skycatcher, Citation Longitude, Denali, and Skycourier. He has also worked within the McCauley organization at Textron performing structural design and certification of propellers including the C3401 composite propeller for the Cessna TTx and C778 aluminum 4-blade for the Cessna Caravan. Joel’s FAA certificates include a private pilot certificate (ASEL) and a mechanic certificate with airframe and powerplant ratings. He is a Textron Aviation ODA Unit Member which includes Part 23 and Part 25 structures as well as Part 35 propellers. He is currently Chairman of ASTM F44.30 subcommittee on Structures and has been involved with ASTM F44 since its inception. Outside the world of aviation, he enjoys the outdoors with camping trips with his family and he volunteers by leading a local 4-H rocketry program for youth.

Terry Ercolani, Textron Aviation, Engineer Specialist, Senior – Structural Integrity

Terry Ercolani is a structures engineer at Textron Aviation, specializing in fatigue, fail safe, and damage tolerance analysis and certification of aircraft. With over 30 years in the field, Terry has gained experience in all phases of the aircraft development lifecycle—from new product development, sustaining and field resolutions, repairs, modifications, and through out-of-production support—on every Citation business jet and many of the turboprops. The experience has afforded Terry with opportunities to take part in rulemaking for both Part 23 and 25 durability and damage tolerance issues, both foreign and domestic, including leading ASTM F44’s structural durability task group for the last four years. Away from the office, Terry enjoys hiking, backpacking, and camping, along with maintaining his family’s fleet of cars and restoring a late-model Chevrolet. 

Matthew Kenner, Engineering Systems, Inc., Director of Aviation

Mr. Matthew Kenner is the Director of Aviation at Engineering System, Inc. and specializes in the documentation, investigation, and analysis of complex failures. With 25 years of experience working in failure analysis, his work has spanned many industries, including aerospace, rail, automotive, marine, construction equipment and consumer products. As an aeronautical engineer and flight instructor, he brings extensive expertise to the investigation and reconstruction of aircraft accidents. As an experienced stress analyst, Mr. Kenner has examined the effects of loads on structures from small consumer components to heavy-lift cranes and bridges. Mr. Kenner is the vice-chairman of ASTM F44’s Structures committee and leads the occupant safety task group.

Joseph Pellettiere, FAA Aviation Safety, Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor - Crash Dynamics

Dr. Joseph Pellettiere is the Chief Scientfic and Technical Advisor for Crash Dynamics at the Federal Aviation Administration. He has spent his career promoting occupant safety and passenger protection. After completing a BS and MS in Biomedical Engineering at Case Western University he completed his PhD at the University of Virginia in Mechanical Engineering. Following that he supported the Air Force Research lab for many years leading many research projects for occupant protection. At the FAA, he supports the development of occupant injury criteria as they apply to Aerospace systems and the application of these criteria to the certification of aircraft structure, seats, and cabin interiors and small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS). He has been heavily involved in the development of processes and procedures of analysis methods within the certification process with the ultimate goal of seat certification by analysis. Dr. Pellettiere has also supported transport, rotorcraft and small airplane certification programs. Current focal projects include: the investigation of full scale test methods and analytical techniques to support system level crash worthiness for both metallic and composite aircraft, the development of crashworthiness guidance for the new class of aviation, eVTOL, developing new certification methods for occupant safety in general aviation and for working to ensure the safety of non-participating bystanders through support of sUAS operations over people. He is involved with several industry standards organizations including ASTM and SAE and is an editor for several safety related journals.