Emmanuel Abaya
Atlanta,GA
Summary
Propulsion engineer with 12+ years of experience spanning gas turbine development, flight test, certification, entry into service, and operational fleet support across commercial, business aviation, and defence sectors. Extensive experience delivering component, subsystem, and fully integrated powerplant development programmes, working directly with airframers, nacelle providers, operators, and sub tier suppliers to support propulsion system integration and aircraft certification. Specialist background in structural dynamics, rotordynamics, rotor balancing, vibration diagnostics, and propulsion system validation for high speed rotating machinery. Proven track record supporting certification activities, continued airworthiness, operational reliability improvement, and technical investigations across both development and in service environments.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Regional Propulsion Support Engineer – Business Aviation
Rolls-Royce North America
Atlanta, GA
01.2026 - Current
- Regional technical lead supporting Rolls-Royce powered business aviation fleets across the Eastern United States covering more than 150 operators and over 250 aircraft across Part 91 and Part 135 operations
- Primary propulsion engineering interface for operators of AE3007, Tay, BR710, BR725, Pearl 15, and Pearl 700 powered aircraft platforms
- Provide front line technical assessment, troubleshooting, serviceability guidance, operational recommendations, and propulsion system support across in-service fleets
- Support propulsion system reliability improvement through engine health monitoring, technical investigations, maintenance strategy development, and operational risk assessment
- Coordinate technical activities across operators, maintenance organisations, engineering teams, supply chain functions, and repair facilities to support fleet availability and dispatch reliability
- Support entry into service maturation of the Pearl 700 powered G700/G800 platform through direct engagement with operators and maintenance organisations
- Balance technical, operational, customer, and commercial considerations to support long term fleet performance and customer satisfaction
Flight Test Engineer – Delta Air Lines
Rolls-Royce North America
Atlanta, GA
08.2022 - 12.2025
- On site Rolls-Royce propulsion engineering representative supporting Delta Air Lines operation of Trent XWB-84k, Trent 7000, and BR715 powered fleets
- Led entry into service activities for the Trent XWB-84EP programme at Delta Air Lines, supporting operational readiness, maintenance development, reliability growth, and fleet integration activities
- Worked closely with Delta Engineering and Delta TechOps to develop long term technical solutions focused on maximising aircraft utilisation and dispatch reliability
- Applied Engine Health Monitoring (EHM), operational trend analysis, vibration diagnostics, and root cause investigation methodologies to support proactive maintenance planning and operational risk mitigation
- Collaborated with airline engineering and maintenance teams to develop improved maintenance methods and technical procedures, including a cleaning process later adopted across additional airline operators
- Coordinated technical investigations, serviceability assessments, operational deviations, maintenance recovery activities, and MRO support across engineering, overhaul, and supply chain organisations
- Acted as primary technical interface between Delta Air Lines and Rolls-Royce engineering organisations in-service propulsion system support and operational issue resolution
Flight Test Engineer – G700 Integrated Flight Test Programme
Rolls-Royce North America
Savannah, GA
01.2020 - 07.2022
- Embedded within Gulfstream flight test operations supporting development and certification of the Pearl 700 powered G700/G800 aircraft programme
- Played a critical role supporting engine readiness activities leading to G700 first flight, ensuring safe operation of non certified propulsion hardware within a flight test environment
- Served as the primary technical bridge between on site flight test operations and Rolls-Royce design and development teams in Germany, coordinating technical assessments, troubleshooting activities, and airworthiness related decisions
- Led propulsion related flight test campaigns and coordinated joint technical activities between Gulfstream, Safran, and Rolls-Royce engineering organisations
- Supported powerplant integration activities across engine, nacelle, aircraft, and propulsion system interfaces to support aircraft certification objectives
- Supported famable fluid drainage/fire, thrust reverser, propulsion integration, and aircraft certification test campaigns
- Coordinated engine maintenance, instrumentation, development hardware installation, telemetry systems, test readiness activities, and failure investigations within a fast paced flight test environment
Lead Test Engineer
Rolls-Royce Deutschland
Dahlewitz, Germany
04.2016 - 12.2019
- Led specialised propulsion development and certification test campaigns across multiple Rolls-Royce engine programmes within a central mechanical test facility environment
- Defined experimental test strategies through direct engagement with design specialists and experiment owners, translating complex engineering objectives into practical high fidelity validation methods
- Developed certification critical testing including Fan Blade Off (FBO), Bird Strike, structural endurance, HCF/LCF, and subsystem validation campaigns
- Developed bespoke rig solutions, instrumentation architectures, calibration methodologies, facility modifications, and advanced data acquisition systems to support unique propulsion test requirements
- Led commissioning of new propulsion test capability including low speed and high speed bird strike systems, dynamic monitoring systems, integrated protection logic, and high risk test environment controls
- Served as team specialist for calibration, Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA), dynamic data acquisition, signal processing, engineering data quality assurance, and simulation to test correlation
- Applied structural dynamics, rotordynamic analysis, vibration diagnostics, modal analysis, and rotor balancing principles to support propulsion system development and reliability improvement
- Developed improved thermocouple calibration methodologies reducing sensor costs by approximately 90 percent while improving measurement capability and data integrity
- Contributed to development of a combined HCF/LCF rig used to investigate a Trent 1000 IP Compressor Drum failure mode, supporting root cause investigation and continued airworthiness activities
- Managed rig safety, facility integration, electrical safety compliance, and operational control systems associated with high energy propulsion test environments
Graduate Engineer – Defence Aerospace
Rolls-Royce Plc
Bristol & Derby, UK
07.2012 - 04.2016
- Supported whole engine thermo-mechanical analysis, rotordynamic modelling, structural optimisation, and propulsion integration studies across multiple Rolls-Royce engine programmes
- Created and validated a finite element whole engine model of the RB211-524G supporting structural load analysis and failure investigation activities
- Performed structural optimisation studies using Trent XWB-97k models to support propulsion system development activities
- Worked with specialist rotordynamics teams to develop in house analytical software supporting optimisation of balancing lands for propulsion architectures later forming the basis of the Pearl 700 core
- Implemented Statistical Process Control (SPC) methodologies for EJ200 HPT rotor balancing operations improving manufacturing repeatability, reducing process variation, and optimising rotor balance quality
- Defined system requirements for a machine learning based structural diagnostics tool using production pass-off vibration data, with subsequent work contributing towards funding of a doctoral research programme
- Supported operational activities alongside British Royal Air Force transport squadrons including MRTT air to air refuelling operations involving Typhoon and Hercules aircraft platforms
Education
MEng Aerospace Engineering - Static & Dynamic Structural Analysis, Control Systems Design & Analysis
University of Bristol
United Kingdom06-2014
Skills
- Nastran
- MATLAB
- Simulink
- Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
- Model Validation
- LMS/TestLab
- LabVIEW
- Dynamic Data Acquisition
- Telemetry Systems
- Instrumentation Validation
- Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA)
- Statistical Process Control (SPC)
- Root Cause Analysis
- Rotor Balancing Optimisation
- Vibration Diagnostics
- Teamcenter
- Python
- Engineering Data Analysis
- Configuration Control
LANGUAGES
English — Native
German — Professional Working Proficiency
Bassa-Nge — Native
Timeline
Regional Propulsion Support Engineer – Business Aviation
Rolls-Royce North America
01.2026 - Current
Flight Test Engineer – Delta Air Lines
Rolls-Royce North America
08.2022 - 12.2025
Flight Test Engineer – G700 Integrated Flight Test Programme
Rolls-Royce North America
01.2020 - 07.2022
Lead Test Engineer
Rolls-Royce Deutschland
04.2016 - 12.2019
Graduate Engineer – Defence Aerospace
Rolls-Royce Plc
07.2012 - 04.2016
MEng Aerospace Engineering - Static & Dynamic Structural Analysis, Control Systems Design & Analysis
University of Bristol