Aviation Expert Witness

qualifications of Philip Greenspun, updated March 2012
In February 2012, I testified in a federal court jury trial as an expert on helicopter piloting and pilot qualifications. This document summarizes the rest of my qualifications to be an expert witness in aviation-related lawsuits.

Education

Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999.

FAA Certificates

Airline Transport Pilot certificate with multi-engine airplane, single-engine airplane, and helicopter ratings. Single-engine seaplane rated at the Commercial level. The ATP certificate includes an SIC type rating for the CL-65 Canadair Regional Jet and a PIC-S (single pilot) type rating for the Cessna Mustang C510 business jet.

Flight Instructor certificate with airplane, helicopter, and instrument ratings.

Note: the FAA's published statistics indicate that there are at most a few hundred U.S. pilots who have ATP-helicopter, ATP-airplane, one or more turbojet type ratings, and a flight instructor certificate. My certificates can be verified at the FAA Airmen's Registry (search for "Greenspun" in Massachusetts).

Aviation Experience

Airline pilot in FAA Part 121 operation, flying the 50-seat CRJ for Delta Airlines's Comair subsidiary. Operated from most of the busiest airports in the Northeast, including JFK, LGA, EWR, BOS, PHL, DCA, and IAD.

More than 2000 hours of experience instructing airplane and helicopter students, training students to fly the Cirrus SR20 airplane and Robinson helicopters. Served as Chief Pilot for an FAA Part 141 helicopter school. Nearly 4000 hours of total flying experience. Experience flying in Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, the U.K., France, Austria, Israel, Argentina, Panama, South Africa, and Namibia.

Two trips to Alaska, one in a Diamond Star DA40 and one in an Cirrus SR20. Multiple coast-to-coast trips in Robinson R44 helicopters and as an instructor in the Cessna Mustang business jet.

Started and managed a helicopter sightseeing operation in the Boston area.

Have been the owner-operator of several airplanes and helicopters. Have prepared applications for two Part 135 charter certificates from the FAA.

Am the author of numerous articles on aviation, available at http://philip.greenspun.com/flying/.

Expert Witness Experience

From June 2010 through a federal court jury trial in February 2012, I served served as an expert witness for an insurance company in a case that resulted from a helicopter accident.

Most of my experience is as a software expert witness and it is detailed on a page listing testimony and references.

Additional Video Clips

I am frequently called upon by Boston-area television stations to comment on aviation-related stories. Being an expert witness is a form of teaching, so I'm also including links to some material prepared for students. Here are a few clips:

Specific Aviation Litigation Areas of Expertise

In an aviation lawsuit, I should be qualified to testify on at least the following subjects:

Contact

philg@mit.edu or (617) 864-6832.

References

Upon request, I will be happy to provide references from the firm of Martinez and Ritorto, which hired me for the February 2012 jury trial..