(L/D)max Aviation Group

Working as an Air Accident Investigator for the Rannóknarnefnd flugslysa (RNF), otherwise referred to as the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board of Iceland, for nine years, Thorkell Agústsson brings international experience to the (L/D)max Aviation Safety Group team of instructors. He spent five of those years with the RNF working as a Chief Investigator while his colleague temporarily held a position at ICAO. Thorkell has been involved in nearly 250 investigations with over 150 of those functioning as an Investigator in Charge (IIC). Several of the investigations he has been an active part of have taken place in countries around the world. His work is highly recognized within the aviation industry as seen by the request to the IIC for an international investigation under ICAO Annex 13 in developing nations.

As an active member of the aviation industry around the world, Ron Bedard brings his photography skills to the (L/D)max Aviation Safety Group team. Not only is Ron a certified professional photographer, he was also the president of Bedard Forensic Imaging Incorporated. This private company specialized in aircraft accident site documentation and post accident analysis through the use of both traditional and advanced photographic techniques.

Actively involved in the aviation industry for over five and a half decades, Dick Engle brings an incredible amount of knowledge and experience to the (L/D)max Aviation team of instructors. He has been involved in aviation both on the commercial side as well as the government. This expansive experience accompanied by his strong educational background make him an invaluable asset to both our staff as well as to our students.

As a Professor of Aviation Science and the Director of the Center for Integrated Emergency Management at Saint Louis University’s Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology, John Goglia’s role in the industry is unique, yet crucial. He is tasked with crating a world-class program for preventing and preparing for disasters, including natural disasters, such as forest fires, to man-made disasters, such as aircraft accidents. Holding a number of positions in the aviation industry through the years, John’s experiences and knowledge have made him an asset to the industry as a whole.

As with other positions in his career, Gary is a quintessential member of the (L/D)max Aviation Safety Group organization. Outside of the scope of tasks associated with his position as Partner & COO, Gary provides the students of (L/D)max Aviation with instruction and training in accident investigation, human error and accident causation, organizational behavior, environmental protection, cockpit resource management (CRM), Maintenance Resource Management (MRM) and computer based training. He is responsible with the management of all investigation courses conducted by (L/D)max Aviation in their open-enrollment series as well as contract courses across the globe.

With over 30 years of experience, Dick Perry is well known within the aviation industry to be a leader in risk management, aviation safety and flight operations. Working throughout his career with both civil and military flight operations and safety and with the airline and aircraft manufacturing industries, Dick contributes a wealth of knowledge and experience to the (L/D)max Aviation Safety Group team of instructors.

Encompassing over 30 years of experience in aviation safety and aircraft accident investigation, John Richardson's experience and expertise has been instrumental in the continued development of aviation safety programs worldwide. He has had the opportunity to act as Flight Safety Officer and Aircraft Mishap Investigator in the United States Air Force (USAF), as the System Safety Engineer for a major aircraft manufacturer and as an instructor in aviation safety and accident investigation. With 23 years of designing, developing, and teaching aviation safety courses for a variety of organizations around the world, John brings breadth and depth of experience to the (L/D)max Aviation Safety Group team of instructors.

As a multi-disciplined instructor in the aviation field, Art Torosian brings invaluable experience acquired over the years in a variety of aspects of the industry. He has spent much of his career developing his skills and experience in safety, technical and operational aspects of concept, design, testing, certification and in-service phases of commercial aircraft. Over the years this experience has allowed Art the opportunity to work extensively with domestic and international airlines. In addition, he has worked directly with other aircraft manufacturers as well and Government and industry agencies. With this experience of working with organizations involved in aviation around the world, Art joins the (L/D)max Aviation team of instructors with a wealth of experience and knowledge to offer in the areas of aircraft technology, operations, investigation, and safety.

Possessing extensive experience with a number of military and commercial gas turbine engine models, past, present and future, Tom Wondrock brings a niche expertise to the (L/D)max Aviation Safety Group team of instructors. Working as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) engineer in the field of gas turbine engine design, development, manufacturing and test, Tom has accumulated over 38 years of experience working for the United Stated Air Force (USAF), as well as the Air Forces for Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Egypt and a number of others.