David Felbeck held a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and a doctorate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He served on the M.I.T. faculty and taught as a professor of mechinal engineering at the University of Michigan, starting in 1961.

He was Rhodes Scholar candidate from Cornell, recipient of a Fulbright Lectureship at the Technical University of Delft and served six years on the staff of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. as executive director of the Ship Structure Committee research program.

An expert on the deformation and fracture of metals, he has testified in some 600 product-liability lawsuits since 1961. He was a registered Professional Engineer in Michigan, and author of some 35 papers and three texts on the subject of strength and fracture of engineering solids.

An avid hunter, boater, angler and conservationist, he was active in the firearms-rights movement and served as chairman of the board of directors for the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners.