Bernardo Malfitano
Bernardo Malfitano works at Boeing Commercial Airplanes - specifically, at the Product Strategy & Future Airplane Development organization, in the Airplane Configuration & Integration group. He performs analyses, studies, and sometimes tests, on proposed features and configurations for future airplanes. The results determine the optimal shapes, materials, locations, and manufacturing processes for new airplane parts, so as to minimize drag, weight, cost, and risk. In short; he's an airplane...See more
Bernardo Malfitano works at Boeing Commercial Airplanes - specifically, at the Product Strategy & Future Airplane Development organization, in the Airplane Configuration & Integration group. He performs analyses, studies, and sometimes tests, on proposed features and configurations for future airplanes. The results determine the optimal shapes, materials, locations, and manufacturing processes for new airplane parts, so as to minimize drag, weight, cost, and risk. In short; he's an airplane designer. For the previous eleven years, Bernardo worked as a structures engineer / researcher, specializing in fatigue testing, analysis models, and maintenance planning. Bernardo is ?one of Boeing's experts on "airplane aging" issues, and has taught hundreds of Boeing engineers how to do fatigue analysis and how to plan airplane maintenance: in other words, how to design parts that last, and how to catch any form of deterioration before it impacts the safety of flight. Bernardo designed, ran, and documented fatigue tests on new parts for the 787-9, 767 Tanker, 737MAX, and 777X while those airplanes were being designed, and on technologies and materials that have not yet been implemented on commercial airplane structure, such as next-generation composites and new kinds of 3D-printed titanium. Bernardo earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Stanford University and a Master of Science degree from Columbia University, both in Mechanical Engineering. Most of his academic career focused on aerodynamics and propulsion: He has spent many hours designing and running experiments in the wind tunnel and in the engines lab. He also has academic and professional experience designing and testing control systems for UAVs and spacecraft. In his spare time, Bernardo is a private pilot, co-owns an RV-6 (which he has flown to EAA Oshkosh multiple times) and enjoys flying aerobatics. He also occasionally works as an aviation journalist, and has been interviewed on TV shows as an aeronautics expert. Bernardo has built and flown all kinds of model aircraft including rockets, gliders, quadcopters, and flying wings. Bernardo is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He lives in Seattle. See less