AIAA Announcements AIAA Announces Candidates for 2019 Election

The Executive Nominating Committee has selected candidates for next year’s election of AIAA President-Elect and the Council Nominating Committee has selected candidates for next year’s openings on the AIAA Council of Directors. 

Elections will open in February 2019. Executive Nominating Committee Chair James Maser, Council Nominating Committee Chair Jane Hansen, and AIAA Governance Secretary Christopher Horton confirmed the names of the candidates who will appear on the 2019 ballot. 

The nominees are:  

President-Elect
Basil Hassan, Sandia National Laboratories
George Nield, Commercial Space Technologies, LLC
Wanda Sigur, Lockheed Martin Corporation (Retired)

Director – Region IV
Terry Burress, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company
Sarah Shull, NASA Johnson Space Center

Director – Region V
Kristen Gerzina, Northrop Grumman Corporation
Orval “Rusty” Powell, Millennium Engineering and Integration Company

Director – Aerospace Outreach Group
Tucker Hamilton, United States Air Force
G. Alan Lowrey, Jacobs Space Exploration Group

Director – Integration Group
Peter Hartwich, Boeing Engineering, Test & Technology

Director – Information Systems Group
Allan (Terry) Morris, NASA Langley Research Center

Director – Propulsion and Energy Group
Joaquin Castro, Aerojet Rocketdyne

Award Announcements Ilcewicz Wins AIAA Walter J. and Angeline H. Crichlow Trust Prize

Larry Ilcewicz Credit: Ilcewicz

Dr. Larry B. Ilcewicz, chief scientific and technical advisor for Advanced Composite Materials at the FAA, has been selected to receive the 2019 Walter J. and Angeline H. Crichlow Trust Prize, which will be presented during an awards luncheon held on 10 January 2019 at the AIAA SciTech Forum in San Diego, CA. Ilcewicz’s work has been instrumental as the aviation industry transitions from all-aluminum aircraft to composite materials. He also has made significant research contributions to the Boeing 777. He is being honored “For exemplary technical leadership in establishing a safety and regulatory framework enabling large-scale structural application of composites in commercial and general aviation aircraft, rotorcraft and engines.” The award includes a medal, a certificate of citation and a $100,000 honorarium.

In 1998 Ilcewicz joined the FAA as chief scientific and technical advisor for advanced composite materials following many years in prominent positions developing composite materials and structures technology at Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA). In his FAA position, he has worked to advance composite materials and structures technology and develop coordinated strategies to address certification issues and service issues for composites. This work culminated in the FAA Aviation Safety Office (AVS) Strategic Composite Plan, an international plan for composite safety and certification initiatives.

Ilcewicz also serves as co-chair of the Composite Material Handbook 17 (CMH-17) Working Group, which develops and publishes extensive documentation of standard methods, material databases and engineering guidelines to meet the needs of industry and the general public. As part of this effort, Ilcewicz created a forum with Boeing, Airbus, regulators and academia. 

Ilcewicz was awarded a dual degree Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science from Oregon State University in 1984. During his Ph.D., he performed contract work on advanced composite resin matrices with toughened interlayers for the Boeing Company ACDP. He also received an M.S. degree in Wood Science from Oregon State University in 1979, and a B.S. degree in Wood Science and Technology from Michigan Technological University in 1977. He is author or co-author of 79 technical publications.

More information about Dr. Ilcewicz and the Crichlow Trust Prize can be found at aiaa.org/Larry-B-Ilcewicz-to-Receive-2019-Crichlow-Trust-Prize.

AIAA Foundation Making an Impact: Daedalus 88 Scholarship Winner Is Inspired to Make Science Come to Life

Rockets have been part of the hands-on learning experience for both Langford and Zorek, who’s working on dual degrees in mechanical engineering and policy studies, and also is president of Rice University’s rocket team, Rice Eclipse. Langford received his first rocket as a fifth grader and is an active participant in Team America Rocketry Challenge. Credit: Felicia Livingston

By Michele McDonald

A can-do attitude and love for rocketry unite AIAA President John Langford and Sam Zorek, an engineering senior at Rice University and the first recipient of the $10,000 Daedalus 88 scholarship. Langford created the AIAA Foundation Daedalus 88 Undergraduate Scholarship to promote and support student entrepreneurship in aerospace.

“Education is not just classroom learning,” Langford said. “It is experience-based, project-based learning. I think that’s how I learn best, and it’s how many people learn best.”

The scholarship commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Daedalus Project, a pivotal project for Langford and 39 other MIT students. The team set a new distance record for human-powered flight by flying 72 miles between the Greek islands of Crete and Santorini. The record remains undefeated. 

After the flight, Langford founded Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation, a pioneer in unmanned aircraft and autonomous flight, at a time when the industry saw few aerospace startups. For nearly 30 years, Aurora has designed, built and flown over 30 aircraft. In November 2017, Aurora was acquired by Boeing and continues to be a leader in autonomous technology today.

This fall, Langford invited Zorek for a behind-the-scenes tour of Aurora. He also gave Zorek and guests a rare, first-hand account of the influential Daedalus project and how its entrepreneurial know-how continues at Aurora.

Zorek’s eighth grade science teacher, Christopher Goff, helped create an interest in STEM. “As a student, I was more inclined to build a slingshot out of rubber bands and a binder than pay attention to what was on the board. In Mr. Goff’s science class, he made the equations come to life.”

It was the fun egg-drop capsule test that drew Zorek to aerospace engineering. As part of his class project, he had studied how NASA landed the Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity and using Styrofoam, bubble wrap, and a lot of hot glue, his capsule kept the egg safe after dropping from three flights of stairs. Zorek was hooked. “I became more interested in school because I could see it wasn’t a means to the end but a means to do better for the world.”

The tour at Aurora had a similar impact. “As I toured Aurora with Dr. Langford, I saw how his innovative aircraft designs today originated from the Daedalus student project 30 years ago,” said Zorek, who’s also president of Rice Eclipse, the university’s student rocket team. “It inspires me to dream big and consider how I can apply the leadership lessons I learned from Dr. Langford to further grow Rice Eclipse.”

Award Announcements Call for Nominations AIAA Foundation Award for Excellence

The AIAA Foundation Award for Excellence acknowledges outstanding achievements by individuals or groups in the aerospace community. Eligible nominees will offer a unique achievement or extraordinary lifetime contributions inspiring the global aerospace community. If you have any questions or if you need assistance please contact Felicia Livingston, Foundation Program Coordinator, AIAA Foundation, at 703.264.7502 or felicial@aiaa.org.

Nomination Deadline: 11 January 2019 

Award Announcements Magnus Wins Aerospace Awareness Award

Magnus is pictured with Mike Griffin, former AIAA president, who presented her with the award. Credit: Larry Canner Photography

On 1 November, at the Women in Aerospace Awards Dinner, AIAA Executive Director Emeritus Sandy Magnus was honored with the Aerospace Awareness Award, “in recognition of her work raising awareness of STEM and aerospace to diverse, global audiences, and engaging students in aerospace to grow the next generation workforce.”

Award Announcements 2018 AIAA Freitag Award Presented

The 12th Joseph Freitag, Sr. Award was presented to Max Schrievers on 12 September in Stuttgart, Germany. He received his diploma in Industrial Mechanics from the Daimler Benz Instruction and Training School, Stuttgart, Germany, in January 2018. Schrievers received an outstanding academic record while attending Daimler and was selected for the award by the school’s master instructors. Schrievers stood out for willingness to tutor other students attending the school. Schrievers, 22, is currently enrolled in the Esslingen College School of Engineering, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering.

Section News Greater Huntsville Section at AirVenture 2018

AIAA Greater Huntsville Section members at the iconic Brown Arch. Credit: Susan Mallett

By Ken Philippart

Members of the AIAA Greater Huntsville Section attended the world’s largest aviation gathering, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI, from 22–29 July. Section members met during the week to socialize while enjoying all that AirVenture offered.

Over 600,000 people attended AirVenture 2018 to enjoy viewing all things aviation on Whitman Field, including over 10,000 aircraft ranging from operational military aircraft, home builts, vintage warbirds, antique general aviation (GA) aircraft, ultralights, unmanned aerial vehicles and powered parachutes. Daily airshows included military flybys, aerobatics, vintage warbird formations, World War II reenactments, wing walking, drone shows, parachuting teams and commemoration of events such as the 80th anniversary of the legendary T-6 trainer, the Year of the Tanker, and the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force.

Historical talks were held by aviation legends like Dick Rutan, triple Ace Col Bud Anderson, and aerobatics legend Patty Wagstaff. Section members also tried their hands at homebuilding skills during hands-on build sessions by pulling rivets and practicing welding among other hands-on sessions such as TIG welding, sheet metal forming, and fabric covering of aircraft.

Section members met up at the historic Roxy Supper Club along with a diverse group of aviation enthusiasts including an EAA chapter president, GA pilots and certified flight instructors, and Gary Powers, son of U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers who was shot down over the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The stories and passion for flight from the group of aviation experts made for an enjoyable evening befitting AirVenture’s moniker as an “aviation family reunion.” Plans are being made to return in 2019. See you in Oshkosh!

AIAA Committees STEM to STEAM — Society and Aerospace Technology Integration and Outreach Committee

By Dr. Amir S. Gohardani, SAT IOC, Chair

The Society and Aerospace Technology Integration and Outreach Committee (SAT IOC) takes immense interest in topics linking society to aerospace technology. In an effort to bridge Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) with the Arts into Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM), SAT IOC has arranged a panel session at the upcoming 2019 AIAA SciTech Forum in San Diego, CA. The panel will take place on Thursday, 10 January at 1600 hrs.

For centuries, visualization has been an essential engineering discipline. From Roman aqueducts and the sketchbooks of Leonardo da Vinci to the Spitfire and Concorde, good engineering has remained as much a matter of intuition and nonverbal thinking as of equations and computation. History has shown that engineers are best taught how to understand engineering drawings by making them and that they can still enhance their understanding of the nature of materials through experience. Visualization can indeed provide engineers with a feel for a problem. In aerospace engineering, a wide range of graphical representations of knowledge continues to serve as visual tools for innovation, problem solving, documentation, and communication. Fine arts have continuously brought unique opportunities to energize, promote, entertain, and inspire. STEAM efforts benefit from the ability to visualize and convey complex ideas through visualization.

The goal of the panel session, entitled From Functional to Inspirational Aerospace Art: STEM to STEAM, is to demonstrate how aerospace art is used to visualize advanced concepts, communicate technological advances, build cohesive teams, document historic events, and how it can impact the STEAM classroom. Conference attendees will learn about the panel’s continuing quest to use visual art with students. It combines the perspectives of 5 AIAA members: the moderator (a fine arts curator, art lecturer and past TC Chair); three award-winning aerospace artists who are career engineers and researchers; and a STEAM education director with comprehensive aerospace experience.

Moderator: Cam Martin
Artist/Research Pilot: Mark Pestana
Artist/Engineer: Michelle Rouch
Artist/Engineer: Aldo Spadoni
Aerospace STEAM Education Director: Kathleen Fredette

All AIAA SciTech Forum attendees are cordially welcome to attend this session hosted by SAT IOC.

Obituary Associate Fellow Nash Died in July

Don E. Nash, who had been an AIAA member since 1964, died on 28 July. He was 83 years old.

Nash began his career at McDonnell Aircraft (McAir) F-101 and F-4 Design groups followed by U.S. Army service. After his Army discharge and earning a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering in 1964 from the University of Oklahoma, he returned to the McAir Flight Test Division. He was assigned as the Flight Test Engineer for the 1st F-4J Carrier Suitability test and the 1st F-4D Radar Homing & Warning System. In 1969, he was assigned to the F-15 Proposal Team where he wrote a major section for Research and Development flight testing to include initial envelope expansion, stability and control, flying qualities, spin and structural dynamics testing.

When McAir won the F-15 contract Nash became Test Director for the 1st F-15 throughout its entire DT&E test program at St. Louis (1970–1972) and then Edwards AFB (1972–1975). In May 1972, Don received an M.S. in Engineering Management from the Missouri Science and Engineering University at Rolla, MO. In 1977 Nash relocated to Albuquerque, NM, where he joined BDM as a Staff Engineer and rose to vice president of the BDM Support contract for the Airborne Laser Lab (1977–1983) and the High Energy Laser Scientific Test Facility at the White Sands Missile Range. He was then assigned as vice president of Nuclear Effects for BDM and directed support at the AFRL EMP Sites (Trestle and Dipoles). In 1996, Nash left BDM and formed his own aerospace consulting business supporting many local and national aerospace companies, including consulting with Lockheed Martin on F-22 modernization.

An active AIAA member Nash served as the AIAA Antelope Valley Section Newsletter Editor. He later served twice as the chair for the AIAA Albuquerque Section, as well as being the Region IV Deputy Director for Finance and on the AIAA Membership Committee (1993–1999). He was a member of the Flight Testing Technical Committee and past chair of the International Membership Subcommittee. Nash received a 2003 AIAA Sustained Service Award and three Special Service Citations (1997, 1999, 2012).

A long-time member of the NM Professional Aerospace Contractors Association, he served as President, Program Chair, and Executive Board member for several years. He also served on the NM State University Aerospace Engineering Advisory Panel program to review their aerospace engineering program.