Maintenance Engineer

RESUME OF ROBERT DITCHEY

Expert Witness Aviation and Airline Industry Litigation

***** ****** ****** *****, **** 415

Marina del Rey CA 90292

Phone 310-***-**** Fax 310-***-****

******@*******.***

March 21, 2005

A. Formal Education:

1. United States Naval Academy, Annapolis MD curriculum emphasis on

Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Ship

Navigation, Liberal Arts (English, History), Naval Weapons Systems.

Attended continuously 1958-1962. Awarded BS Degree in 1962;

simultaneously commissioned as Ensign, USN.

2. United States Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey CA curriculum

emphasis on Aeronautical Engineering, Structural Analysis, Mathematics,

Operations Analysis, Numerical Methods for Computer Analysis, Low Speed

Wind Tunnel studies, Aviation Safety and Accident Investigation. Thesis: A

Stability Analysis of a Tethered Manned Underwater Station in Deep Ocean

Currents. Awarded Associate Membership in the Society of Sigma Xi for

excellence in engineering research. Attended continuously 1966-1969.

Awarded MS in Aeronautical Engineering in 1969.

3. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA (CALTECH)

curriculum emphasis on Aeronautical Engineering, Structural Analysis,

Aircraft Stability and Control, Fluid Dynamics, Applied Mathematics,

Advanced Numerical methods for Computer Analysis, Astronomy (joint

engineering study for the design of a probe to Saturn s atmosphere). Thesis:

The Effect of Imperfections on the Buckling of Thin-Walled Cylindrical

Shells. Attended 1971-1973. Awarded Aeronautical Engineer Degree (AE)

in 1973.

B. U.S. Navy Training:

1. Flight Training (Pilot) Pensacola FL, Corpus Christi TX, Jacksonville

FL, Norfolk VA. 1962-1964. Designated Naval Aviator in January 1964.

2. Special Schools Basic Land Survival; Artic Survival; Deep Ocean

Survival; Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE); Naval

Ordnance Familiarization and Safety; Aviation Safety and Accident

Investigation.

3. Special Qualifications Nuclear Weapons Delivery Pilot; Special

Instrument Rating (Advanced Pilot Qualification); USS Enterprise

Underway Officer of the Deck; USS Enterprise Command Duty Officer;

Aviation Safety Officer; Commanding Officer (Shore Facility).

C. U.S. Navy Career:

1. 1964-1966 Patrol Squadron Ten. Principal locations: NAS Brunswick

Maine, NAS Boca Chica (Key West), Argentia Newfoundland, Keflavik

Iceland, NATO facilities in Norway, Spain, and the Azores. Flew as pilot in

the P2V and P3 aircraft. Designated Patrol Plane Commander in P3. Served

as the manager of the electronic repair shop in maintenance and later as the

Standardization Officer (NATOPS) for the Squadron. This tour involved

operations in a severe winter weather environment. Flights were long-

duration, long range (mid-ocean) anti-submarine missions against Soviet

ICBM-equipped nuclear boats, with typical flight crews numbering 12 to 14

men. Note: Experience gained in this tour was very similar to that involved in mid-level

airline operations and maintenance management. It included direct supervision of

maintenance personnel, and flight training experience directly comparable to that of a Check

Airman in airline parlance.

2. 1966-1969 United States Naval Post Graduate School (as above)

3. 1969-1971 USS Enterprise. Underway in both the Atlantic and the

Pacific Oceans, including a transit around Cape Horn. Completed one

combat tour on Yankee Station (Vietnam). Served as Ordnance Officer in

the aftermath of the disastrous 1969 Ordnance Conflagration that nearly

sank the ship. Responsible principally for Ordnance Safety, Ordnance

Handling, the ship s magazines (term used for ordnance storage), Bomb and

Missile Assembly Fore and Aft, Ordnance Logistics. Note: This tour involved an

extensive training and re-qualification effort, with newly designed facilities and equipment.

Ordnance handling involves many different types of motorized and non-motorized handling

equipment, such as fork lifts, hoists, cranes, elevators, etc. The ordnance involved included very

large and heavy weapons, such as 2000 lb bombs, precision guided missiles and bombs, and

large, bulk-crated high-explosives. The procedures involved are necessarily highly disciplined

and closely managed. This was in wartime, involving a very high tempo of operations.

4. 1971-1973 California Institute of Technology (as above). Attended

graduate school under the auspices of the Secretary of the Navy Scholarship

Program, including receiving full scholarship from CALTECH.

5. 1972-1973 Commanding Officer Naval Facility San Nicolas

Island. Completed while simultaneously finishing research work at the

CALTECH computer facility. Commanding Officer of highly classified (at

that time) SOSUS Station. Reported simultaneously to the Commander

Third Fleet and the Commander, Pacific Missile Range. Note: Acting as the

Commanding Officer, I was responsible for all aspects of training, policy and procedures, and

safety. Part of my command included a Construction Battalion Detachment (Seabees).

6. 1973-1976 Patrol Squadron Fifty. Principal Locations. NAS Moffett

Field CA; NS Adak (Aleutian Islands); NAS Agana Guam; Misawa Japan;

NAS Barbers Point Hawaii. Department Head Tour. Served as Officer in

Charge of Squadron Detachment at Adak. Squadron Safety Officer.

Training Department Head. Patrol Plane Commander. Mission

Commander. Flew as pilot in P3C Aircraft. Nominated by Commander

Fleet Air Wings Pacific (2-star Admiral) and Commander Third Fleet (4-star

Admiral) for the 1975 White House Fellowship Program. Competed but not

selected. Note: Throughout this tour of duty, I performed a senior supervisory function which

directly compares to senior airline maintenance and flight operations management. The P3C

aircraft is technologically comparable to the B767, as concerns aircraft systems.

D. Airline Management Experience:

1. 1976-1979 National Airlines. Miami FL. Director, Maintenance

Administration and Contracts. Reported directly to VP-Maintenance and

Engineering. Responsible for oversight and administration of the entire

M&E budget. Responsible for administering and recovering settlements

from all warranties, contractual and otherwise. Negotiated and administered

all M&E contracts (the largest set of outside contracts in the industry at that

time). The two largest of these contracts for which I was responsible, were

the engine repair contracts with TWA (JT8 engines, for the B727; and with

Cooper Airmotive (CF6 engines, for the DC10). Negotiated DC10 aircraft

purchase agreement with Douglas Aircraft and DC10 aircraft lease

agreement with CP Air. Served as the Maintenance and Engineering merger

coordinator for the merger with Pan Am. Negotiated, supervised and

administered all of the outside support contracts for the route expansion into

Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Zurich. Member of the engine

management committee.

2. 1979-1980 Pan American World Airways. New York City. Systems

Director Jet Engine Repair. Systems Director Component Repair.

Supervised and facilitated the National-Pan Am merger with regard to

maintenance and engineering. Supervised the Pan Am engine and

component repair facility at JFK, the largest engine repair facility in the

world at that time, employing over one thousand unionized mechanics. This

very large Jet Center also included a machine shop, a plating shop, and a

large landing gear overhaul facility. While at Pan Am, served as a member of

the Operations Management Advisory Board to the Columbia University

Graduate School of Business in New York City. During this time, Pan Am

went through multiple lay-offs of maintenance and engineering personnel.

3. 1980-1984 America West Airlines. Senior Vice President Operations.

One of the founders and creators of the airline. Created and developed the

business plan as concerns maintenance, flight operations, fuel acquisition,

aircraft acquisition, and FAA Certification under Part 121. Participated in

all meetings with potential investors and investment bankers for seed

money and the IPO. Negotiated all aircraft leases and purchases.

Developed plans for hiring, conducted screening interviews, and hired all

managers, pilots, mechanics, and other operations support personnel.

Supervised the development, writing and approval of all FAA-required

Maintenance and Flight Operations manuals and procedures. Developed

and signed the FAA-Approved Operations Specification. Supervised staff,

pilot and mechanic initial training. Supervised the airline proving runs with

the FAA. Developed the concept for cross-utilization of pilots and

qualifying them as dispatchers (which requires licensing from the FAA.)

Developed the concept for major maintenance support and pilot (simulator)

training with Pacific Western. Supervised the upgrade, modification and

standardization of used B737 aircraft acquired from ten different countries.

Negotiated the purchase of new B737-300 aircraft from Boeing (America

West and Southwest Airlines were the launch customers for this aircraft.)

4. 1984-1986. Trident International Lease Finance. Beverly Hills CA.

Created and developed the business plan for an aircraft leasing venture.

Provided seed money, legal and financial support for this entrepreneurial

effort, which was styled after the successful Guinness Peat and ILFC models.

Met with bankers, airlines, and investors in pursuit of this venture (including

foreign airlines.)

5. 1986-1987. MGM Grand Air. Los Angeles CA. Responsible for creation

and start-up of a new entrant Part 121 airline in scheduled services between

LAX and JFK using highly modified B727-100 aircraft (with unique long

range fuel tanks and a unique, exceptionally luxurious interior for only 32

passengers.) Airline financed by Kirk Kerkorian. Duties and responsibilities

were generally identical with those at America West, except for ones relating

to raising money through an IPO.

E. Consulting Experience:

Clients included:

Western Savings and Loan (due-diligence investigation-

investment in engine modification STC)

Western Airlines (CFM56 and JT8 engine repair program)

Flying Tigers Airlines (engine repair contracts with United

Airlines and Pan Am, acted as Chief Propulsion Engineer)

ASTEC manufacturing (marketing campaign for new concept

in engine exhaust systems repair)

Archangel (Neil Diamond s Management Company) (due

diligence investigation of Roush Aviation for concert tour)

Balkan Bulgarian Airlines and Air Zimbabwe (comprehensive

analysis of Maintenance and Operations management and

recommendations for improvements to facilitate privatization.

Conducted under the auspices of IESC and USAID)

NBC TV [Channel Four] (Research and technical advice for a

television broadcast special about aging transport aircraft).

F. Expert Witness Experience:

To date, over a five year period (except for one earlier case, in 1988) I have

been engaged as an expert witness by sixteen different law firms, almost

equally divided between representation of plaintiffs and defendants. Of these

sixteen, eleven involve major airlines in some way. Usually but not always,

they have involved maintenance issues. Of the remaining five, they are all

aviation-related, and all involve aircraft or pilot issues. There have been

approximately six other firms for which I did some preliminary analysis, but

which were settled early.

G. Court Testimony and Depositions:

1. Hess v Greenamyer. This case was heard in June 2001 in California

Superior Court, San Diego, in the mid-city courthouse. I was deposed on two

different occasions and wrote an opinion for the trial. The case involved the

famous Kee Bird disaster in Greenland, (which incidentally was the

subject of a television documentary aired by Nova.) I testified in support of

Greenamyer, who is an acclaimed aviator, test pilot, and world record

holder.

2. Glassman v Southwest Airlines. This case was heard in January 2003

in California Superior Court, San Diego, in the northern courthouse. I was

deposed for this case, which evolved from the Las Vegas/Salt Lake City

Southwest Airlines flight in which a passenger was pummeled and strangled

to his death by fellow passengers. I testified in support of Glassman, who

was one of the passengers who was involved in this infamous melee.

H. Media Commentator:

I have appeared on nationally televised programs as a commentator on

airline matters. This includes NBC (Paul Moyer the special broadcast

mentioned above; The Early Show with Bryant Gumbel; the Nightly News

with Dan Rather; and several other local television news broadcasts); CNN

with Wolfe Blitzer; and several programs on NBC s Extra! I have been a

guest numerous times on radio broadcasts on National Public Radio (KCRW

with Warren Olney) on airline topics, and several other radio broadcasts on

the BBC London and LA s KNX Radio.

I. University Faculty Member.

I am on the faculty of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Extended

Campus, Greater Los Angeles Facility. I have taught courses at the Master s

level on the subject of the Airline Industry and Air Transportation. I have

received certification but have not taught other courses such as

aerodynamics and mathematics. In 1970, I was admitted to the faculty of

San Diego State University and taught undergraduate mathematics and

physics under the extended campus program on board USS Enterprise while

underway in waters off Vietnam.

J. Writer.

I have written three articles that have been published in the Opinion

section of the Los Angeles Times, one of which was translated and published

in the Brazilian equivalent of Time magazine (Veja). All of these

commentaries were on aviation topics. The first commentary was on the

subject of Part 91 of the FAR s following the JFK Jr. tragedy, the second was

about incorporating UAV technology into the design of air transports

following the Egypt Air disaster, and the third was about the arrival of the

A380 to the industry.

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