AHS International Announces 2018 Recipients of Its Group Awards
AHS International Announces 2018 Recipients of Its Group Awards
Eight organizations recognized for outstanding contributions to vertical flight
FAIRFAX, Va., March 20, 2018 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- AHS International, The Vertical Flight Society, today announced the organizations that are the 2018 recipients of its prestigious awards program. This year's winners will be recognized at the Grand Awards Banquet on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, during AHS International's 74th Annual Forum & Technology Display in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
"Since 1943, AHS has brought together the world's leading individuals and organizations to help to advance the state of the art of vertical flight technology," said AHS Executive Director Mike Hirschberg. "For nearly 75 years, AHS has highlighted the most impressive accomplishments in vertical flight, and we are especially proud of the groups who are recognized as part of this year's awardees."
The Society's Captain William J. Kossler, USCG, Award is given for the greatest achievement in the practical application or operation of vertical flight aircraft, the value of which has been demonstrated by actual service during the preceding 18 months. This year, the Kossler Award is presented to the crew of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment, Georgia National Guard supporting hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico. Bravo Company self-deployed two Chinooks from Savannah, Georgia, to the island stricken by Hurricane Maria. Bravo Company flew more than 2.6 million pounds of cargo over 36 days. Their efforts were vital in supporting operations to restore power and water to the island after the monster hurricane.
The Grover E. Bell Award is given for an outstanding research and experimentation contribution to the field of vertical flight development. This year's recipient is the Clean Sky Green Rotorcraft (GRC) Rotor Design Team. In just 30 months, the five-nation Airbus team developed, built and flight tested a five-bladed passive rotor optimized for acoustics, performance, comfort and cost. The multi-disciplinary optimized rotor successfully achieved well-balanced improvements simultaneously.
Rossell Techsys is this year's recipient of the AHS International Supplier Excellence Award. This award is given to a supplier who, through the quality, innovativeness and cost-effective technology of its products, has made a notable contribution to improving the state of the art of vertical flight aircraft. The development and growth of Rossell Techsys over the last five years from a small point-to-point wire harness manufacturer to a complex wire harness and electrical panel powerhouse gives manufacturers confidence in outsourcing electrical wire and panel work.
The Leonardo International Fellowship Award recognizes significant contributions to international vertical flight cooperation. This year's winner is the Canadian Maritime Helicopter Combined Test Force Team -- comprised of members of the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) and Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company. The team is recognized for conducting an extraordinary, international cooperative effort to demonstrate the CH-148 Cyclone helicopter shipboard capability for conducting flight operations in Sea State 6 conditions.
The Robert L. Pinckney Award is given in recognition of notable achievement in manufacturing research and development for vertical flight aircraft or components. This year's recipient is the US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR)/Sikorsky CH-53K Drive System Development Team, which developed the largest helicopter main gearbox in the Western world.
The Harry T. Jensen Award is given for an outstanding contribution to the improvement of reliability, maintainability, safety or logistics support through improved design or technical achievement. This year's award is given for the Combat Tempered Platform Demonstration Team -- Sikorsky and the US Army Aviation Development Directorate -- for bringing to fruition an integrated suite of safety and reliability technologies that can be realistically implemented together that exemplifies both operational durability and total survivability. The team successful demonstrated, via full-scale ground and flight testing, an optimized configuration of reliability and safety enhancing technologies that will save lives and allow aircraft to operate for extended periods with minimal maintenance.
This year's recipient of the Howard Hughes Award, given in recognition of an outstanding improvement in fundamental helicopter technology brought to fruition in the previous 18 months, is the AACUS Development Team. The Office of Naval Research and Aurora Flight Sciences' Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS) team -- which also included Near Earth Autonomy, Kutta Technologies, Rockwell Collins and Carnegie Mellon University -- developed and successfully demonstrated a fully autonomous helicopter flight capability. Over the course of ONR's five-year long Innovative Naval Prototype (INP) project, the AACUS team designed a hardware and software applique "kit" that enables the host helicopter platform to interpret and execute high-level logistics mission tasks.
The Vertical Flight Heritage Sites Program is intended to recognize and help preserve locations with the most noteworthy and significant contributions made in both the theory and practice of helicopter and other VTOL aircraft technology.
-- The Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia
Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, was founded in 1930
through a Guggenheim Aeronautics Grant. The first chair, Montgomery
Knight, introduced rotorcraft engineering from the department's
inception, resulting in one of the first universities in the United
States to offer a formal education in the field. In 1982, the School of
Aerospace Engineering was selected as one of the original three
Rotorcraft Centers of Excellence.
-- Weston-super-Mare Airport in North Somerset, Great Britain, has been
involved with helicopters since Bristol Aeroplane Company chief
helicopter designer Raoul Hafner temporarily located his office there in
1945. Bristol built its Sycamore helicopter there from 1955-59 and
carried out the first flight of the Belvedere tandem-rotor helicopter on
the airfield in July 1958. The factory became the Weston division of
Westland Helicopters in 1960 and was involved in Wasp, Gazelle, Puma,
Lynx and Sea King production and overhaul work until its closure in
2002. Today, the Helicopter Museum, which opened on the property in
1989, keeps the heritage of the site alive.
More information about our 2018 awards winners can be found at www.vtol.org/2018-awards.
Founded as the American Helicopter Society, Inc. in 1943, AHS International, The Vertical Flight Society, is now the global resource for information on vertical flight technology. The Society advocates, promotes and supports global vertical flight technology and professional development.
AHS International -- The Vertical Flight Society
2701 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 210, Fairfax, VA 22031 USA
phone: 1-703-684-6777; toll free: 1-855-AHS-INTL; fax: 1-703-739-9279
www.vtol.org
Media Contact: Valerie Sheehan, AHS International, 7036846777 x107, pr@vtol.org
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SOURCE AHS International
