John Hodgkinson (Emeritus 2006)
Mr. Hodgkinson is an experienced manager of aerodynamic technology development efforts. Until summer 1999, when he joined with Brooke Smith to found AeroArts, Mr. Hodgkinson was a Boeing Technical Fellow leading the Stability, Control and Flying Qualities group in the Boeing Phantom Works. Prior to Mr. Hodgkinson's position at Boeing, he was Director of Technology at Eidetics International, where he specialized in the control aspects of fighter agility. Previously at Northrop, he was Manager of YF-23A flight control and also Manager, Control Systems Research and Development. This was preceded by positions at McDonnell Aircraft, where he led the Flight Dynamics group, doing research on handling qualities, high-angle-of-attack stability and control, and wind tunnel testing. He received his industrial training in many departments at British Aerospace. He received Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Southampton and St Louis Universities, respectively. He is an active member of AIAA, having held membership of two Technical Committees, including chairmanship of the Guidance, Navigation and Control Committee. He has produced about forty publications, including (in 1999) the first text on Aircraft Handling Qualities (AIAA), and a chapter on the same subject in the 2000 book on Flight Control Systems (IEE and AIAA).
Selected publications.Mr. Smith is the co-founder, with John Hodgkinson, of AeroArts, a start up company which since 1999 has been providing technical consulting and research services in advanced aerodynamics, flight dynamics, and control system design and analysis. Mr. Smith has the distinction of currently consulting with the two major US aircraft manufacturers on their low speed test research laboratories. Mr. Smith has 18 years experience in air vehicle design, aerodynamic research, and vehicle dynamics, with a successful track record of research management and execution. His specialty areas include unsteady aerodynamic testing and modeling flight dynamics, maneuvering aerodynamics, active and passive drag reduction techniques, vortex control, novel flight control effectors, real time flight simulation, algorithm development, innovative experimental methods: flight test, wind tunnel test, water tunnel test, air vehicle configuration design and analysis, and performance estimation
From 1991 to 1999, he held progressively more responsible positions at Eidetics International, becoming Chief Scientist in 1996. He served as Principal Investigator on numerous phase I and II SBIR programs, including experimental and theoretical aerodynamic studies. Prior to his experience at Eidetics, his assignments included work at Ferranti Aerospace, Japan Aircraft Mfg, Co. in Yokohama, and Northrop. He obtained his BSME (Magna Cum Laude, no. 1 class rank) from Oakland University, where he received the Award for Exceptional Achievement. He performed his graduate work as a Guggenheim Fellow in Aeronautical Engineering at Princeton University, where he was awarded the University Prize Award.
Selected publications.