( Information on other consultants is
available on request. )
Mr. Cooney has extensive experience in aircraft
design developed over thirty-three years in aeronautical engineering,
mechanical engineering and project management, including eighteen years working
with advanced CAD/CAM technologies. Mr. Cooney’s expertise includes design of
composite airframes, advanced aircraft systems design, CAD systems
administration and the organization and management of aircraft prototyping and
development projects.
As Chief Engineer of Spectrum Aeronautical LLC
from 2001 to present, Mr. Cooney has led the development of the
Independence and Freedom twin-engine business jet aircraft
(see www.spectrum.aero). The S33 Independence
first flew as a prototype in 2006. Design work continues on the Freedom.
As Vice-President and Chief Engineer of Scaled
Composites from 1989 to 2000, Mr. Cooney was successful in managing the
aerospace industry’s most prolific prototype aircraft engineering organization
(see www.scaled.com). Work at Scaled
included involvement in dozens of aircraft development programs and more than
ten successful prototyping efforts. Mr. Cooney’s responsibilities included
organizing, managing, recruiting and supervising the engineering staff in
addition to having design and oversight responsibility for several UAV and
conventional aircraft projects.
Mr. Cooney was also instrumental in establishing
and configuring Scaled Composites’ computer network systems including PC,
Macintosh, CATIA, and CNC milling machinery. Mr. Cooney was primarily
responsible for the evaluation of new engineering technologies and
incorporating them into design process at Scaled. This work included the beta
testing of new engineering software including Vellum Solids, implementation of
Fluent CFD and NASTRAN finite element modeling, and many other systems.
In 1988 Mr. Cooney participated in the engineering effort on the BD-10J
aircraft project, designed to be the first personal supersonic jet aircraft.
This included the detailed design of the turbojet engine installation (GE
CJ-610), fuel system, environmental system and supersonic air inlet.
Mr. Cooney also worked as a CAD/CAM consultant for General Electric from
1984 to 1988 where he provided management and recommended priorities of cad
system usage. He also conducted management and training in GE Calma CAD
operation and wrote software enhancements that improved operator efficiency as
well as “bug” fixes and software problem workarounds. He also interfaced CAD
with printed circuit board manufacturing machinery and with mechanism analysis
software.
Mr. Cooney also worked as Engineering Manager and CAD consultant from
Oct. 1982 until Feb 1984 at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces. This
includes advising on the procurement of a system to be used for mechanical
design on DoD R&D projects. He was also responsible for mechanical and
structural design of SHARP (Stabilized High Altitude Research Platform), an Air
Force balloon-borne vehicle having a high accuracy 3 axis motor-driven pointing
mechanism, and a parachute recovery system. This work included supervising
scale model aerodynamics testing of SHARP, strength and environmental testing.
At Lear Avia Corporation (Lear Fan Ltd.), Mr. Cooney managed computer
aided design facilities from February 1980 to Oct. 1982. He was responsible for
Lear Fan CAD activities and organizing the CAD Department, a part of Lear Fan
R&D Division. He wrote CAD procedures manual for implementing CAD,
conducted in-house operator training classes and supervised creation of CAD
database. He also developed computer programs (using DAL and DAL/Fortran
languages) to increase engineering productivity in areas such as surface and
airfoil lofting, finite element modeling, systems installation, piping, tooling,
electrical schematics and wire harness net lists. He also lofted fuselage and
fairing surfaces.
From February 1978 until February 1981 Mr. Cooney worked with Bill Lear
on the Lear Avia Corporation 2100 Airplane (later the Lear Fan) and for Propulsion
Group. Mr. Cooney was the propulsion design supervisor for 2100 and directed
the propulsion system design and certification effort through first flight. His
areas of design responsibility included engine installation (Pratt &
Whitney PT6), drive train, propeller gearbox, propeller, fuel system, oil
system, fire shielding, test rig design and test program. He also worked on
engine installation design - geometry, mounting, firewalling, cooling, inlet,
exhaust, deicing, fire protection, maintainability, and controls.
Mr. Cooney worked at Bede Aircraft Incorporated of Newton, KS first as
an engineer and pilot and then as Chief Engineer on the BD-7 Aircraft Design
Program from 1972 until 1978. There he
managed the BD-7 airplane design and fabrication project, did surface lofting,
designed and analyzed drive train components and engine/propeller installation.
Mr. Cooney earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from
the University of Florida, Gainesville in March 1972. He also holds a Master of
Arts degree and has held Professional Engineer (P.E.) certification in Aeronautics
from the State of Kansas, P.E. #8035. Mr. Cooney has been an instrument flight
instructor, has owned and maintained several aircraft, and has flight
certification with Airline Transport Pilot rating ( #1907587). He has held a T/S
security clearance with SSBI 8-8-97.