During the first century of flight, the focus of aircraft design has been on increasing performance, with cost and schedule as dependent variables. But America is facing new challenges as it works to adapt to the changing economic, energy, environmental, and security demands during this next century of flight. The mechanism for addressing these challenges will be to focus on achieving technical innovation with cost and schedule as independent variables and actual constraints. This presentation will describe a method for performing trade studies between aircraft performance, schedule, numbers, and value against a specified cost target. These trades have quantified the benefits of accelerating product development and delivering an 80 percent solution. In general, a good design built and tested this year is better than an “optimal” design tested next year. Without such rapid prototyping, we are just optimizing our ignorance. A truly optimal design is one that is in the air, performing a mission. Technical innovation and a Lean approach to aircraft design can assure continued American aviation leadership in this next century of flight.

Dr. Paul Bevilaqua joined Lockheed Martin as the Chief Aeronautical Scientist and became Chief Engineer of the Skunk Works, where he played a leading role in creating the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.   He earned his MS and PhD degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University, while a commissioned US Air Force officer. His thesis on the persistence of the large eddies in turbulent wakes set a new direction for turbulence research and led to an assignment to study turbulent jets at Wright Patterson AFB. These jets provided the lift for a Vertical Take Off and Landing Search and Rescue Aircraft. As a result of his work on this aircraft, he accepted a position as Manager of Advanced Programs at Rockwell International’s Navy aircraft plant in Ohio, where he led the design of Vertical Take Off and Landing interceptor and transport aircraft. He joined Lockheed Martin when the Rockwell plant was closed.

 

He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He was voted Engineer of the Year by the readers of Design News Magazine and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Cranfield in England.  He has received both AIAA and SAE Aircraft Design Awards, both AIAA and AHS VSTOL Awards, and Lockheed Martin AeroStar and Nova Awards.  His X-35 development team won the Collier Trophy, which each year recognizes “the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America”, for developing the first aircraft in history to fly at supersonic speeds, hover, and land vertically.  He has published many articles in important Journals and has received several Best Paper awards.

 

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