“Lessons in Technology Development and Transition from the Pioneer Period of Flight”
We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Sean Ross, AFRL/DE, will be our speaker at the 24 October (Thursday) DPAAS meeting, 11:30-1:30 pm, 2800 Presidential Drive, Holiday Inn, Fairborn, Ohio. Sean will discuss “Lessons in Technology Development and Transition from the Pioneer Period of Flight”.
Abstract: In 2015, a trip to the Kitty Hawk national memorial sparked a period of intensive study into the question of whether the pioneer period of flight held any lessons relevant to the transition of directed energy weapons. This presentation is the result of four years of study including access to unpublished documents at the Library of Congress. Given that the United States was five years ahead of its nearest competitors (France, Italy, Germany, Britain) in the development of flight in 1904, why was the United States three years behind its nearest competitors at the start of World War I such that there were no US built combat planes until 1917? Why did Canada beat the United States in having a combat airplane in theater? Development of technological principles is not the same as transitioning them to a useful product. This talk will examine the history of the development of the airplane and draw lessons from the technical and business practices of the early pioneers of aviation in the US: Wright Brothers, Alexander Graham Bell, Glen Curtiss, Lincoln Beachey and others. Prepare to be surprised as the version of history in common circulation is incomplete and provides a very poor model for technology development and transition. The full story of flight development provides some amazingly successful development and transition models which could speed up our technology transition from lab to warfighter and reduce development costs.
Dr. Sean Rossreceived his B.S. and M.S. in Physics from Brigham Young University and his PhD in Laser Engineering from the University of Central Florida. He has worked in the field of high energy lasers at the AFRL since 1994. His interests began with non-linear optics and laser development and then branched to high energy laser power and thermal management and other system integration issues. Dr. Ross has just finished a three year assignment as the Air Force Directed Energy Program Element Monitor at the Pentagon and has returned to Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, as the Deputy Technology Area Lead in High Energy Lasers.
Please Note: Participation in DPAAS is limited to representatives of the United States Government and U.S. Defense Contractors. All representatives must be Citizens of the United States.
DPAAS technical presentations may count toward Acquisition Continuous Learning (CL) Points – please check with your supervisor!
Registrations/Cancellations need to be received no later than 12:00 Noon, 23 October 2019. To cancel your registration, please send an email to admin@dpaas.com. "No shows" will be billed.