| Consultants
Groen
Brothers Aviation retains a number of consultants in key technological
and financial areas including:
Raymond
W. Prouty, Aeronautical Engineer
Mr. R.W. Prouty is one of a rare
breed--a helicopter aerodynamicist. For almost four decades, Mr.
Prouty gained and subsequently used his rotary-wing expertise at
Hughes Helicopters (now Boeing), Sikorsky Aircraft, Bell Helicopter,
Lockheed, and back to Hughes before retiring in 1987.
During that time, Mr. Prouty's work ranged from preliminary design
to performance and flying-qualities analysis to wind-tunnel and
flight testing. His contributions to the helicopter industry led
the American Helicopter Society to name him an Honorary Fellow in
1983. Mr. Prouty holds a Master's degree in Aeronautical Engineering
from the University of Washington.
Now an independent consultant, Mr. Prouty continues to unravel the
mysteries of helicopter flight to others through college courses,
private consulting, and publications. A columnist for Rotor
& Wing International since 1979, Mr. Prouty has also authored
a college textbook, a manuscript for the UK's prestigious Jane's
Publishing Co. and an esteemed trio of publications on Helicopter
Aerodynamics from Rotor & Wing.
Mr. Prouty's contributions to the understanding of rotor wing flight
are legendary within the aviation community. In addition to the
volume of work from his monthly columns in Rotor & Wing
International, his writings are considered a valuable resource
within the industry.
Dr. Barnes W. McCormick, Ph.D., Aeronautical Engineer Consultant
Dr.
Barnes McCormick is a Boeing Professor Emeritus in the Department
of Aerospace Engineering, at Pennsylvania State University. Dr.
McCormick developed Groen Brothers Aviation's computer model for
analyzing autorotative flight data to maximize the efficiency of
gyroplane rotor blades. Dr. McCormick is well known in the field
of vertical flight, and has worked as Chief of Aerodynamics at the
Vertol Corporation, a division of Boeing. Throughout his career,
he has accomplished many notable achievements including being named
the nation's "Outstanding Educator in Aerospace Engineering"
by the American Institute of Aeronautics. In addition, he authored
a seminal text on aerodynamics, aeronautics, and flight mechanics,
and has written two other books on flight and aircraft accident
reconstruction. Dr. McCormick is also a former Director of the American
Helicopter Society.
Dan M. Somers, Aeronautical Engineer Consultant
Dan
Somers has been the President of Airfoils, Inc. since 1980, located
in Pennsylvania. Mr. Somers is an internationally recognized expert
in airfoil design, analysis, and testing. He designed, along with
Richard Eppler, the Eppler Airfoil Design and Analysis Code, a program
considered to be unequaled in the world. In addition to designing
the airfoil of the Hawk series rotor blades, Mr. Somers has designed
airfoils for wind turbines, sail planes, cruise missiles, business
jets, and others. Prior to operating his present company, Mr. Somers
worked as a research engineer at NASA Langley Research Center. Mr.
Somers also has many publications to his credit.
Dr. Mark D. Maughmer, Ph.D. Aeronautical Engineer Consultant
Dr.
Mark Maughmer has been a Professor in the Department of Aerospace
Engineering at Pennsylvania State University since 1984. Dr. Maughmer
optimized the rotor blade platform for the Hawk gyroplane series
and performed the parametric study using the Dr. McCormick's program.
Dr. Maughmer has consulted with many large aerospace companies and
government agencies. He is a widely published author on the topics
of airfoil design and analysis, wing platform optimization, natural
laminar flow aerodynamics, and subsonic, low turbulence wind-tunnel
design and operation.
The above three aerospace engineers are
recognized experts on rotorcraft blades and airfoil design. Working
together they designed the family of natural laminar-flow airfoils
for the rotor of the Hawk 4 gyroplane. The design specifications
for the airfoils were determined from rotor-performance calculations
performed by Dr. Maughmer, using a computer code developed especially
for gyroplane rotors by Dr. McCormick. All of this was done under
the supervision of Dan Somers, an internationally recognized airfoil
design specialist.
Henry E. Sawicki, Design Engineer
Henry E. Sawicki has served as the owner and President of Salient
Technology Management Incorporated (STMI) from its origination in
1981. STMI has consulted both Domestic and International aerospace
firms, including McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Corp.( where he was
responsible for designing the entire drive train assembly for the
Army's AH-64 Apache), Agusta (Italy) Helicopters, Enstrom Helicopters,
Hiller Aviation (helicopters), Kaman Aircraft Corp. (helicopters)
and many others. Mr. Sawicki specializes in the design of helicopter
transmission systems, engine gearboxes, drive systems, turbine engine
reduction gearboxes. He is a member of the American Helicopter Society
and the American Gear and Manufacturers Association. His expertise
will be instrumental in the design and implementation of the power
transmission in the pre-rotation system providing vertical take
off and landing capabilities for the Hawk Gyroplanes.
Orlando E. Johnson, Market Research Consultant
Orlando Johnson is a consultant
in high-tech development and in aviation economics, marketing and
management. Mr. Johnson was Market Research Executive for commercial
aircraft at The Boeing Company in Seattle, Washington. In this capacity
he developed forecasts and models for long range business planning.
As Chief Corporate Economist for The Boeing Company he served the
CEO in a wide range of capacities. As Senior Aerospace Economist,
Mr. Johnson developed economic evaluations of both commercial and
classified military ventures. His notable accomplishments include:
Development of the first bottom-up 20 year forecasts within his
firm for the commercial airplane market (predicted traffic distribution
and volume for the 10 largest hubs by frequency and airplane size
versus time of day for 20 years into the future);
Development of the first executive information service that tracked
actual production expenditures for each airplane model and aerospace
product and reported monthly with fully current information;
Personally drafted the central economic justification for the SDI
program (Space Defense Initiative - or Star Wars as some know it).
This was a principle reason President Reagan decided to forward
the program to Congress;
Engineer-in-charge of a previously secret
urgent Minuteman launch communications project (required construction
by hand of all units of a first ever "spread-spectrum"
high-tech communications system and building underground facilities
for their testing in Missouri - in only 6 months). Project was successfully
accomplished under budget and ahead of schedule.
Lowell Larson, Market Research Consultant
For many years, a central interest
of Lowell Larson has been the development and production of gyroplanes
in the medium-to-large size range. Along with other investors, he
formed Aero-Gyro Associates of Seattle and, as President, he directed
market research and preliminary design. Mr. Larson previously served
the Boeing Co. as Manager of the "second generation" Boeing
Supersonic Transport evaluation program. In other assignments Mr.
Larson managed Boeing operations at NASA, Langley Field, The Air
Force Tactical Air Command, and was the Boeing legislative liaison
with NASA, the FAA, Congressional Committees and the Departments
of Defense, State and Commerce. Mr. Larson also managed the research
department at Boeing with an annual budget in excess of $100 million.
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