The Invention and Development of Rotorcraft: A Case Study in the History of Innovation

Helicopters in the Military, the Story of HMX-1

Keynote Address

Mark “Pete” Peterson

September 26, 2009 / West Chester, Pennsylvania

Cosponsored and hosted by the American Helicopter Museum and Education Center, supported by The Piasecki Family Foundation and Boeing Co., and presented in tribute to the memory of Frank N. Piasecki, FPRI Trustee and aviation pioneer.

The story of rotary wing flight is one of innovation and heroism, in equal measure. At a time when airplanes were spanning the globe as luxury liners of the air, a small group of visionary engineers set out to develop aircraft for a variety of demanding missions requiring precision control far beyond anything ever envisioned. These pioneering innovators overcame technical challenges through breakthrough designs, careful testing, and sometimes, being willing to try things when others said that they would fail. The Wachman Center, in partnership with the American Helicopter Museum and Education Center, presented this seminar for high school teachers to tell the story of the American rotorcraft industry through the innovations that made vertical flight a reality, and then a necessity, in carrying out vital military and civilian missions.

Speakers included Robert M. (Bob) Beggs, co-founder and Chairman of the Board of the American Helicopter Museum and Education Center; Bruce H. Charnov, Ph.D., J.D., FRAeS, is an Associate Professor at the Frank G. Zarb School of Business, Hofstra University; Samuel S. Evans, Research Associate in the Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence at The Pennsylvania State University.; Bill Grauer and Mark “Pete” Peterson of the Boeing Company; Frederick Weyerhaeuser Piasecki of Piasecki Aircraft; Igor Sikorsky, Jr., Esq., long active in aviation history; Paul Dickler, Ed.D. is a Senior Fellow of FPRI’s Wachman Center; and Lawrence A. Husick, senior fellow at FPRI and co-directors of its project on teaching innovation.

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