What we do
- Concept technical authority and independent engineering pre-review for aircraft development programs
- Program leadership advisory, from concept and development through production
- Certification strategy under FAA Part 27 and EASA CS-27
- Avionics and software compliance (DO-178C, MISRA C)
- Technical specification and supplier engagement support
Chris Gehler
Principal
Chris Gehler spent more than a decade at Bell leading advanced rotorcraft programs. He was program manager for the V-280 Valor Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator through its first-flight series, and the aircraft became the Army's MV-75. He then served as Vice President and Program Director for the V-22 Osprey program (MV-22, CV-22, CMV-22), leading full-rate production and ongoing development for the Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy, and launching the CMV-22. Later, as Senior Vice President and Program Director, he led the Bell 360 Invictus, Bell's entry in the Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program. He served on Bell's Executive Leadership Team, reporting to the President and CEO.
Before Bell, he served as a U.S. Army Aviator, rated in rotary-wing and qualified in the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, and retired as a Colonel. He commanded 1st Battalion, 82d Aviation Regiment, an attack aviation battalion, in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and later commanded Joint Task Force-Bravo in Honduras. His staff service included strategic planning as J35 and Deputy J5 at United Nations Command / Combined Forces Command / U.S. Forces Korea, as well as Chief of Staff of the 2d Infantry Division.
A 1984 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point (B.S., Engineering), he holds a Master of Military Art and Science from the School of Advanced Military Studies, a master's degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College, and an MPA from Golden Gate University, and completed the Wharton Advanced Finance Program.