People Category: AIAA AVIATION Forum 2023

Bruno SIlva

Dr. Bruno Silva is the ICAO Environment Officer on the Long-Term Aspirational Goal for International Aviation (LTAG) and on Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). Previously, he worked at ICAO on noise-related aspects of civil aviation. He has also worked at the Brazilian Civil Aviation Authority and at Embraer, always with a focus on the environmental impacts of aviation. Dr. Bruno holds a PhD from the Aeronautics Institute of Technology (Brazil).

Fabio Masci

Fabio Masci is a Lieutenant Colonel Pilot of the Italian Air Force who, among other duties, held the position of Chief of Flight Safety at the 5th Fighter Wing and the Tactical Leadership Program (TLP) in Florennes, Belgium and in Albacete, Spain.  

During his career he was also awarded with several recognitions for reducing birdstrike events, including one from the U.S. Air Force thanks to the fact that after 1 year of operation with the F-16, the recorded incident rate was lowered to a level that took USAF itself several years to be reached.   

Fabio flew more than 2,500 flight hours on F-104 and F-16 fighter jets, reaching the Instructor Pilot qualification on both of them (he was one of the first four F-16 Italian instructors).

Regarding Flight Safety, Fabio was involved in activities like:

▪ Investigation and drafting of final report for a flight accident involving two Italian F-16s near Sardinia;

▪ Italian Liaison Officer and member of the US/ITA Investigation Committee on  the accident involving  a USAF  aircraft near Aviano Base; 

▪ Called to provide support to operational activities during the Libyan crisis; 

▪ Real operations: DELIBERATE FORGE, ALLIED FORCE, ODYSSEY DAWN, UNIFIED PROTECTOR.

Fabio left active duty in 2015 and together with others decided to capitalize on the gained field experience and founded THE EDGE COMPANY, a company born from the concept of the knowledge economy. He is strongly convinced that safety has an essential value to operations and, while progress cannot be stopped, there is a strong need to define new innovative models capable of creating harmony with the environment.  

The Edge Company’s team is made of a heterogeneous group which includes AI specialists, software engineers, natural scientists, aviation experts. All of them have been working together to develop and continuously improve BCMS® Ventur system, under Fabio supervision that steers its development based on operational needs.  

James L. Felder

James Felder is an Aerospace Engineer at the NASA Glenn Research Center.

He graduated from Arizona State University in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree (BSc) in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

He worked at the Garrett Turbine Engine Company, now Honeywell, from 1984-1988 in the areas of Aircraft and Advanced Engine Concepts.

Jim has been at the NASA Glenn Research Center since 1988 working in the areas of Electrical Hybrid and Turboelectric Aircraft Propulsion System Research, Advanced Aeropropulsion Systems Concept Development & Analysis, Lunar Lander System Engineering, In-space Chemical and Nuclear Rocket Propulsion Systems Analysis and was one of the principle architects and lead developers of the industry standard NPSS systems analysis program.

Gary Grimes

Gary Grimes, Director of Business Development Sustainability at World Energy, is focused on environmental issues, carbon neutrality, green energy innovation, and impacting positive change for corporate leaders committed to net-zero goals. In his role, Gary helps World Energy solve for carbon, innovate further, integrate new ways to drive down the carbon score and take the risk on the front side of technology. 

Before World Energy, Gary worked for the oil refiner predecessors at Paramount for 27-years in various capacities, including as a representative to CEC and CARB. During this time, he played a significant role in developing the small refiner provisions of the CARB diesel and LCFS regulations. 

Previously, Gary was a refining industry consultant with Pace Consultants in Houston for 10-years. Before that, he was a senior engineer for Rockwell International, where he contributed to a team that developed long-term disposal plans for high-level nuclear waste at the Hanford Project in Washington State. 

Gary is a recognized expert in the green energy industry and is a frequent speaker and contributor on the business and government policies of renewable energy and jet fuel. Gary holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Montana State University.