Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship

The Vertical Flight Society's Alexander A. Nikolsky Lectureship was instituted in 1981 and is given to an individual who has a highly distinguished career in vertical flight aircraft research and development, and is skilled at communicating their technical knowledge and experience, for whom a summary of their original work represents a valuable reference publication. The selection of the lecturer is based on the individual’s distinguished career, the significance and appropriateness of the subject matter, the lecturer’s ability to compose an archival lecture document and the lecturer’s willingness to present the lecture to the Society’s various regions. The lecture is presented at the VFS Annual Forum and the written version is published in the prestigious Journal of the AHS. The award itself consists of a medallion and a certificate.

The award is named for Prof. Alexander A. Nikolsky [bio], part of Igor I. Sikorsky's team that developed the VS-300 and later a researcher at Princeton University, where he provided information crucially important to rotary wing aircraft designers, and published two books. [A complete Biographical Note was published with the first Nikolsky Lecture.]

 

2015: Dr. Robert A. Ormiston
Aeromechanics Chief Scientist (Retired), U.S. Army Aviation Development Directorate—AFDD
Aviation & Missile Research Development & Engineering Center
Research Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM), Moffett Field, California
Revitalizing Advanced Rotorcraft Research — and the Compound Helicopter
The 35th AHS Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lecture

 

2014: Dr. Dewey H. Hodges
Professor, Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
Unified Approach for Accurate and Efficient Modeling of Composite Rotor Blade Dynamics
The 34th Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lecture
Forum 70 Presentation

 

2013: Prof. Peretz P. Friedmann
Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
On-Blade Control of Rotor Vibration, Noise, and Performance: Just Around the Corner?
The 33rd Alexander Nikolsky Honorary Lecture
Forum 69 Presentation

 

2012: Gareth Padfield
Emeritus Professor of Aerospace Engineering School of Engineering
University of Liverpool, Liverpool
Rotorcraft Handling Qualities Engineering: Managing the Tension between Safety and Performance
The 32nd Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lecture
Forum 68 Presentation

[video]

 

2011: William Bousman
U.S. Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate (Retired), Moffett Field, California
Rotorcraft Airloads Measurements: Extraordinary Costs, Extraordinary Benefits
The 31st Alexander Nikolsky Honorary Lecture
Forum 67 Presentation

 

2010: Dr. Wayne Johnson
Aeromechanics Branch, NASA Ames Research Center
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Moffett Field, California
Milestones in Rotorcraft Aeromechanics
The 30th Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship

 

University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
The Challenges and Possibilities of a Truly Quiet Helicopter
The 29th Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship

 

2008: Dr. David A. Peters
McDonnell Douglas, Professor of Engineering, Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Structural Engineering
Washington University St. Louis, MO
How Dynamic Inflow Survives in the Competitive World of Rotorcraft Aerodynamics
The 28th Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship

 

2007: Dr. Kenneth M. Rosen
Principal Partner, Aero-Science Technology Associates, LLC, Guilford, CT
A Prospective: The Importance of Propulsion Technology to the Development of Helicopter Systems with a Vision for the Future
The 27th Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship

 

2006: Franklin D. Harris
Bell Helicopter Textron (Retired) 
No Accidents — That's the Objective
The 26th Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship
Forum 62 Presentation

 

2005: Walter G. Sonneborn
Consultant, Fort Worth, TX
Quo Vadis U.S. Helicopter Community?
The 25th Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship

Forum 61 Presentation (coming soon)

 

2004: Dr. Barnes W. McCormick
Professor Emeritus, The Pennsylvania State University State College, PA
Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Wake Turbulence and BVI — Vortices Come in All Sizes
The 24th Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship

 

2003: Santino Pancotti
Agusta Vice President for New Products and Research Activities AgustaWestland, Varese, Italy
After 50 Years of Helicopter Design, Are Rotorcraft Mature Enough for the Commuter Role?
The 23rd Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship

 

2002: Troy M. Gaffey
The Devil is in the Aeromechanics and Other Product Development Lessons Learned [not available]
The 22nd Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship

 

2001: Dr. Richard M. Carlson
U.S. Army (Retired), Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Helicopter Performance – Transportation's Latest Chromosome

 

2000: Prof. Howard C. Curtiss, Jr.
Princeton University (Retired), Princeton, NJ
Rotorcraft Stability and Control: Past, Present, and Future
The 20th Alexander A. Nikolsky Lecture

 

1999: Dr. Daniel P. Schrage
Professor and Director, Center of Excellence in Rotorcraft Technology (CERT), Center for Aerospace Systems Analysis (CASA)
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Technology for Rotorcraft Affordability Through Integrated Product/Process Development (IPPD)
The 1999 Alexander A. Nikolsky Lecture

 

1998: Robert J. Huston
Distinguished Research Associate, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA
The Future of Vertical Lift
The 18th Alexander A. Nikolsky Lecture

 

1997: Bruce Blake
Flying Qualities and Flight Control [not available]
The 1997 Alexander A. Nikolsky Lecture

 

 

 

 

1993: Kenneth I. Grina
Former Vice President, Research and Engineering, The Boeing Company
Development of Helicopter Design Capability — Progress from 1970 to 1993
The 1993 Alexander A. Nikolsky Lecture

 

1992: Robert R. Lynn
Senior Vice President (ret.), Research and Engineering, Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc., Ft. Worth, TX 
The Rebirth of the Tiltrotor
The 1992 Alexander A. Nikolsky Lecture

 

1991: Dr. Robin B. Gray
Regents' Professor and Associate Director School of Aerospace Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Vortex Modeling for Rotor Aerodynamics
The 1991 Alexander A. Nikolsky Lecture

 

 

1989: Charles C. Crawford, Jr.
Head, Aviation Technology Branch, Georgia Tech Research Institute
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Rotorcraft Analytical Improvement Needed to Reduce Developmental Risk
The 1989 Alexander A. Nikolsky Lecture

 

1988: Kenneth B. Amer
Consultant, The RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA 
A "New" Philosophy of Structural Reliability, Fail Safe Versus Safe Life
The 1988 Alexander A. Nikolsky Lecture

 

1987: Jan M. Drees
Consultant, Formerly: Vice-President Technology, Bell Helicopter Textron, Fort Worth, TX 
Prepare for the 21st Century
The 1987 Alexander A. Nikolsky Lecture

 

1986: John Ward
Executive Scientist, Aeronautics and Space Technology Division, ORI, Inc., Rockville, MD
Rotorcraft Research — A National Effort
The 1986 Alexander A. Nikolsky Lecture

 

1985: Alfred Gessow
Professor and Chairman, Department of Aerospace Engineering
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 
Understanding and Predicting Helicopter Behavior—Then and Now
The 1985 Alexander A. Nikolsky Lecture

 

1984: Robert G. Loewy
Institute Professor of Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanics
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 
Helicopter Vibrations: A Technological Perspective
The Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship

 

1983: Rene H. Miller
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
The Potential Impact of Technology on VTOL Utilization
The 1983 Alexander A. Nikolsky Lecture

 

1982: Bartram A. Kelley
Technical Consultant, Dallas, TX
Helicopter Evolution
The Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship

 

1981: Wieslaw Z. Stepniewski
Aeronautical Consultant, Springfield, PA
Factors Shaping Conceptual Design of Rotary-Wing Aircraft
The Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship