Bimal Aponso’s careers spans four decades of experience in modeling and simulation of dynamic systems, vehicle stability and control, and aircraft handling qualities. He is the FAA’s Chief Scientist and Technical Advisor (CSTA) for Dynamic Systems with particular focus on the applicability of modeling and simulation for certification, flight dynamics and control of eVTOL aircraft, and certification requirements for future commercial supersonic/hypersonic aircraft.

Bimal brings extensive experience from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) where he held multiple leadership positions, including Chief of the Aeronautics Projects Office and Chief of the Aerospace Simulation Research and Development Branch (SimLabs) at NASA’s Ames Research Center. In these roles, he expanded the Center’s modeling and simulation capabilities and supported research on aerospace and air-traffic management concepts for NASA, the Department of Defense, and the FAA, and supported landing and rollout training for Space Shuttle crews on the Vertical Motion Simulator. Bimal also served as the flight dynamics and GNC lead on the independent review team for the NASA X-59 Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator aircraft, supporting the program from preliminary design to first flight. In addition, he collaborated with the FAA to plan a NASA Airspace Technology Demonstration project that developed technologies and requirements for an integrated arrival and departure scheduling concept now being implemented in the National Air Space.

Earlier in his career, Bimal spent more than two decades at Systems Technology, Inc., researching and developing flight control systems for several military aircraft, including the USAF C-17. He developed a comprehensive rotor model for the CH-53E helicopter to resolve significant dynamic issues, dynamic criteria for several fixed- and rotary-wing military specifications, and simulation models of a variety of dynamic systems. He also developed and implemented the commercialization strategy for the company’s successful line of low-cost driving and parachute maneuvering simulators.

Bimal earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Manchester, UK, an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from University of Maryland, and an MBA in International Business from the University of Southern California. He is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics and a Member of the Vertical Flight Society.