We have enjoyed the teamwork of many world class and small business vendors. The following organizations and individuals have provided invaluable expertise in the performance of Mono Tiltrotor research and development.
The University of Maryland: Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center came to the Mono Tiltrotor project with an award winning capability in rotorcraft conceptual design and a deep interest in coaxial rotor technology. This university applied its conceptual design tools and techniques to predict Mono Tiltrotor performance for medium lift and heavy lift missions. After finding that the Mono Tiltrotor design has breakthrough performance compared to legacy rotorcraft concepts, they worked towards achieving technical feasibility by creating tools for designing a coaxial proprotor and analyzing its performance.
Eagle Aviation Technologies Incorporated is an aerospace prototyping company specializing in coaxial rotorcraft design, fabrication, and limited production. Related projects completed by Eagle Aviation include design and fabrication of the Sikorsky X2 prototype coaxial blades, and design, fabrication, and test of a tiltrotor drive subsystem for the South Korean government aerospace agency. For our Mono Tiltrotor project, Eagle designed and built a wind tunnel research model, and completed the drive system preliminary design for a 9400 pound gross weight Mono Tiltrotor.
Army Research Labs - Vehicle Technology Directorate is the research agency within the US Department of Defense with primary responsibility for rotorcraft aeroelastic performance analysis and wind tunnel testing. This agency collaborated with the University of Maryland in analyzing Mono Tiltrotor performance and supported Eagle Aviation in performing an engineering analysis of the Mono Tiltrotor drive subsystem preliminary design.
The University of Maryland: Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel provided the facility, staff, and expertise for demonstrating fundamental features of the Mono Tiltrotor design in a controlled environment. All aspects of planning, test article integration, test execution, and data acquisition were performed flawlessly and professionally.
Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. is of course the leader in tiltrotor technology dating back to the XV-3 and XV-15 tiltrotor demonstrators, and continuing with Bell's contribution to the Bell/Boeing V-22 Osprey. Bell Helicopter's XworX Division performed an assessment of the Mono Tiltrotor's performance to include an examination of coaxial proprotor performance in both hover and cruise, aircraft stability and control in both hover and cruise, gross takeoff weight, fixed wing lift, and first order drag performance in cruising flight.
Dr. Dimitri Mavriplis is a leader of and participant in the AIAA Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Drag Prediction Workshops and the developer of NSU2D/NSU3D CFD Codes. Dr. Mavriplis applied his AIAA validated NSU3Dcode to assessing Mono Tiltrotor drag.
The Georgia Tech - Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory has an award winning unmanned aircraft design, build, and fly laboratory. This laboratory designed and built several flight models for demonstrating fundamental features of the Mono Tiltrotor. These models were then flight tested at facilities provided by and with the support of the Georgia Tech - UAV Research Facility.
Mr. Trey Kasling deserves special recognition for learning about the business of aerospace while building, maintaining, and piloting Mono Tiltrotor functional flight demonstrators at the University of Maryland and Georgia Tech. He has founded Kasling Aircraft Company in Atlanta, Georgia and continues to offer his services as a Mono Tiltrotor demonstration pilot.
Other small businesses that have been crucial to the construction of successful flight demonstrators are Ollin Machine Works, LLC for aluminum part fabrication using a 4-axis CNC mill, RoCoDesigns, Inc. for design and fabrication of fixed wing structures including the wing, vertical tail, and stabilator; and Elwood Hobbies, Inc. for supplies, tools, services, occasional shop space, and a wealth of experience in remote control helicopters.
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