Frank Piasecki

Frank Piasecki (/piːəˈsɛki/ pee-ə-SEK-ee; Polish: [pjaˈsɛtski]; October 24, 1919 – February 11, 2008) was an American engineer and helicopter aviation pioneer. Piasecki pioneered tandem rotor helicopter designs and created the compound helicopter concept of vectored thrust using a ducted propeller.[2]

Frank Piasecki
Piasecki in the early 1950s
Born(1919-10-24)October 24, 1919
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedFebruary 11, 2008(2008-02-11) (aged 88)
Haverford, Pennsylvania, U.S.[1]
NationalityAmerican
Alma materNew York University
OccupationHelicopter designer
Known forDesigning tandem rotor helicopters
Spouse(s)Vivian O'Gara Weyerhaeuser
ChildrenNicole, Frederick, John, Lynn, Frank, Michael, and Gregory

Early life and education

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to an immigrant Polish tailor, Piasecki worked for autogyro manufacturers while still attending Overbrook High School,[3] then studied mechanical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania before graduating with a bachelor's degree from New York University. He was employed by the Platt-LePage Aircraft Company as a control engineer on their XR-1 twin-rotor project.[4] In 1940, he formed PV Engineering Forum with former Pennsylvania classmate Harold Venzie.[5] He built a single-person, single-rotor helicopter designated the PV-2 and flew it on April 11, 1943. This helicopter impressed the United States Navy sufficiently to win Piasecki a development contract.[6]

Career
Piasecki (L) receives the National Medal of Technology from U.S. President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.
A Piasecki H-21 showing the tandem rotor design

The name PV Engineering was changed to Piasecki Helicopter Corporation in 1946. After a boardroom dispute, Piasecki left Piasecki Helicopter in 1955 and formed the Piasecki Aircraft Company.[7]

At Piasecki Aircraft, he participated in the development of the Piasecki 16H-1 the world's first shaft driven compound helicopter, the PA-59K/VZ-8P Flying Geep, the Piasecki PA-97 Helistat heavy vertical airlifter and the Piasecki X-49 experimental compound helicopter.

Personal life

Piasecki married Vivian O'Gara Weyerhaeuser on December 20, 1958.[8] They had seven children: Nicole, Frederick, John, Lynn, Frank, Michael, and Gregory.[7]

His son John W. Piasecki is now President and CEO of Piasecki Aircraft. His son Fred W. Piasecki is Chairman of the Board and Chief Technology Officer of Piasecki Aircraft.[9] His daughter Nicole Piasecki is vice president and general manager of Propulsion Systems for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.[10]

Later life and death

Piasecki died at his home on February 11, 2008 after a series of strokes. He was 88.

Awards

See also

References
  1. Helicopter pioneer Piasecki dies
  2. Spenser, Jay P. Whirlybirds, A History of the U.S. Helicopter Pioneers. University of Washington Press, 1998. ISBN 0-295-97699-3.
  3. "Piasecki Aircraft Corporation >> About >> PiAC". Piasecki Aircraft Corporation. Archived from the original on 28 November 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  4. "Platt-LePage XR-1". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  5. P-V Engineering Forum PV-2 - Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
  6. Wall Street Journal, February 16–17, 2008, p. A6
  7. HEVESI, Dennis (15 February 2008). "Frank Piasecki, a Pioneer in Helicopters, Is Dead at 88". New York Times. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  8. Twining, Charles E. F.K. Weyerhaeuser: A Biography. St. Paul, Minn: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1997. p. 289. ISBN 0-87351-356-8
  9. "Company Overview of Piasecki Aircraft Corporation". Bloomberg. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  10. "All Female Flight"
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.