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Frank Piasecki
Frank Piasecki (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.
Contents
Biography
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to an immigrant Polish tailor, Piasecki worked for autogyro manufacturers while still in high school and studied mechanical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania before graduating with a bachelor's degree from New York University. In 1940, he formed PV Engineering Forum with his former Pennsylvania classmate, Howard Venzie. 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. [1]
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.
Marriage and children
Piasecki was married to Vivian O'Gara Weyerhaeuser on 20 December 1958.[2] They had seven children, Nicole, Frederick, John, Lynn, Frank, Michael, and Gregory.
Death
Piasecki died at his home on 11 February 2008 after a series of strokes. He was 88.
Awards
- National Medal of Technology - President Ronald Reagan presented Piasecki with the country's highest technical honor in 1986.
- Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Lifetime Achievement award - awarded in 2005
See also
References
- Spenser, Jay P. Whirlybirds, A History of the U.S. Helicopter Pioneers. University of Washington Press, 1998. ISBN 0-295-97699-3.
External links
- Piasecki Aircraft Corporation web site
- Frank Piasecki biography on National Aviation Hall of Fame site
- Summary of Frank's aviation legacy from AIN online
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| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
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