Kieron Parnell's Résumé

I have a wealth of aircraft design, development, Test & Evaluation (T&E) and certification experience on UK, European and US military manned and unmanned aircraft. I have lead T&E and flight test projects, demonstrating compliance with the relevant design safety certification specifications. Since joining Logistics Partners I have applied the process development and compliance demonstration skills developed in a highly regulated industry to the Logistics profession by recommending improved process flows, consulted on systems testing programs. I am in the process of designing and testing drone systems for the warehouse.
I am analytical, rational, systematic, thorough, flexible & calm by nature & education. I am motivated to complete a task on schedule, within budget & to the specified quality/safety standard. I am able to communicate clearly & concisely at all levels of seniority. I am able to quickly form effective working relationships, work effectively in teams, and manage & lead single- & multi-discipline teams. I am able to quickly & accurately identify technical, operating & schedule threats and assess & manage the associated risk. I am keen to find & adopt innovative solutions that address problems at the system level.

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LOGISTICS ANALYST & UAS R&D ENGINEER, LOGISTICS PARTNERS, 2003-present

Warehouse & distribution information systems technology and operations evaluation & advice to support supply-chain businesses re-engineering or re-imagining technology & processes. Business and limited company operations management and administration. Design, development, implementation and testing of drone technology into supply chain operations. Development of small OTS consumer and custom-built multi-rotors into supply chain systems in conjunction with Python applications running on OTS companion computers. Component and system static & flight testing of prototype systems in test and operational environments. Running a R&D programme starting with simple, manually piloted UAS, and ultimately progressing to ML based computer vision object detection & autonomous flight, navigation and mission control.

CHIEF FLIGHT TEST & CERTIFICATION ENGINEER, BLUE BEAR SYSTEMS RESEARCH, 2019

Flight test & certification process definition & implementation. Building, leading and managing a team of pilots, and flight test & certification engineers. Planning, briefing, conduct and reporting of effective & safe flight test. Engagement with and influencing/advising the regulatory authorities on industry best practice. Application of systems thinking knowledge, experience and processes/procedures to new system project proposal, design & development. Developing pragmatic approaches to certification whilst ensuring appropriate safety risk management. Reporting to the Operations Director, Managing Director & CEO.

FLIGHT TEST ENGINEER, MARSHALL ADG, 2016-2018

Planning, briefing, conduct and reporting of effective & safe flight test. Flight testing of RAF C-130J Hercules and Global Express 6000. All flight test work conducted in accordance with flight test and aircrew regulation, and to demonstrate compliance with design airworthiness & certification requirements. Reporting to the Chief Test Pilot & Chief Flight Test Engineer.

AIRCRAFT TEST & EVALUATION ENGINEER & MANAGER, QINETIQ, 2005-2016 & 2019

Military aircraft T&E to deliver independent advice (airworthiness, certification & operational safety) to the UK MOD. Flight Physics Engineer planning and conducting effective & safe Harrier & Typhoon performance, handling qualities & weapon integration flight test and providing analysis & advice. Project Engineer leading and delivering Harrier, Typhoon & Airseeker T&E projects. Technical & organisational liaison for flight test and T&E programmes between the UK RAF & Joint Service T&E squadrons and the QinetiQ T&E teams. Reporting to Project Manager, Programme Lead Project Engineer & Business Group Technical Manager.

OTHER ROLES

• Aircraft Performance Engineer, Aerotech Solutions, 2004-2005
• Aerodynamics Engineer, BAE SYSTEMS, 1997-2003
• Avionic Systems Engineer, Smiths Industries, 1994-1997
• Flight Simulator Development Engineer, Rediffusion Simulation, 1990-1994

Academic Qualifications & Skills

• MSc Aircraft Engineering, College of Aeronautics, Cranfield University, 2003
• BEng (Honours) Aeronautical Engineering, Queen Mary College, University of London, 1990
• Air Systems Trials Officer & Air Systems Evaluator refresher courses, Empire Test Pilot School
• Safety risk assessment using Bowtie Pro and Bowtie XP
• Writing Aircraft Assessment reports, using Microsoft Word, Excel & PowerPoint
• Software systems design, development & implementation in Python on Linux (RPi), MacOS & Windows, using open-source libraries such as NumPy, OpenCV, etc.
• Systems Thinking (Systems Engineering) & MBSE using Enterprise Architect & SysML, Requirements specification & writing & system requirements management (DOORS)

Professional qualifications, memberships & certifications

• Chartered Engineer, Engineering Council (CEng)
• Registered European Engineer, FEANI (Eur Ing)
• Member, Royal Aeronautical Society & Society of Flight Test Engineers