01.
Forest Service Airworthiness Program
Led branch of 10 interdisciplinary team members and 20 agency inspectors collaboratively to accomplish the inspection and oversight of 600+ contract, cooperator, and fleet aircraft. These aircraft perform 70,000 flight hrs. annually on average, primarily in aerial firefighting.
02.
Aerial Firefighting Operational Loads
Led and managed the Forest Service effort to collect operational loads data, partner with Wichita State Univ and the FAA that resulted in published FAA reports that define the airtanker and leadplane aerial firefighting missions. Co-authored 21 articles and conference papers on this operational loads work available on ResearchGate: (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John-Nelson-53 )
Operational Loads presentation at the 2008 Aging Aircraft Conference:
http://www.arctosmeetings.com/agenda/aging/2008/proceedings/presentations/P878.pdf
2010 North American Aerial Firefighting Conference co-presenter US Forest Service Operational Loads Monitoring Program
03.
Aviation Contracting
Managed contracts over 26-year career as program manager / COR including solicitation and budget development, proposal evaluation, contractor onboarding, and oversight.
Key accomplishments:
04.
Interagency and Cooperator Relationships
Built and maintained relationships with other Federal and State partners including the FAA, DOI, DoD components, CALFIRE, Colorado DNR, Washington DNR and many others.
05.
Fleet Aircraft Modernization
Led modernization efforts for the Forest Service owned fleet. This included making the fleet aircraft Working Capital Fund program financially solvent from a point of bankruptcy. Led integrated project teams (IPTs) to complete financial business case analysis which precipitated the sale / transfer of 19 aircraft, and the purchase / onboarding 17.
06.
Aviation Staff Ride
Key development role in the creation of the Forest Service Aviation Staff Ride, a powerful educational initiative that has reached over 300 participants and deepened understanding of the “why” behind airworthiness standards.
See page 76 at the following link for the:
Aviation Staff Ride Article Vertical Magazine June/July 2025
