All things Ormsbee and aerodynamics: AE alumni gather for symposium

10/6/2015 Susan Mumm, Media Specialist

AE alumni recalled lessons learned during the Al Ormsbee Memorial Symposium on Aerodynamics and Aircraft Design.

Written by Susan Mumm, Media Specialist

Michael Bragg, BS 76, MS 77
Michael Bragg, BS 76, MS 77
Prof. Al Ormsbee
Prof. Al Ormsbee

A love of the late Aerospace Engineering at Illinois Prof. Al Ormsbee and all things aerodynamic combined to make the Ormsbee Memorial Symposium on Aerodynamics and Aircraft Design a fitting celebration for an inspirational faculty member.

An audience of about 100 students, faculty and alumni gathered for the symposium, featuring several former Ormsbee students and colleagues who spoke on the wonders and pitfalls of designing and building aircraft, and the influence Ormsbee has had on their careers.

 

Robert Gregg, BS 78
Robert Gregg, BS 78

The symposium was an announcement and celebration of the Ormsbee Professorship that Alumnus Bob Liebeck (BS 1961, MS 1962, PhD 1968) has endowed as a tribute to his mentor. It is the first professorship held within the AE Department.

Michael Bragg (BS 1976, MS 1977), Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of Engineering for the University of Washington, who interacted with Ormsbee for many years when Bragg was an AE faculty member and later, Department Head, moderated the symposium.

Mark Page, BS 79
Mark Page, BS 79

Robert Gregg (BS 1978), Chief Aerodynamicst, BCA at the The Boeing Company, presented the first talk, “Commercial Aircraft and Airfoil Design.” “To me, the wing is the thing, so if you don’t get the airfoils right, you’re kind of sunk,” Gregg told the audience.

Gregg credited Ormsbee and others at Illinois for their contributions to wing design. “You have to understand basics; you have to understand the fundamentals,” he said. “That’s what we learned at Illinois.”

Alumnus Mark Page (BS 1979) followed with an entertaining topic, “How to Design a Cool Airplane, or What's an Engineer To Do with a "D" in Diff Eq and an "A" in Art?” Page, Vice-President & Chief Scientist at DZYNE Technologies, ran a “beauty pageant” of airplanes before the audience, asking them to choose their favorites while explaining the importance of aesthetic design.

George Bennett, MS 64, PhD 70
George Bennett, MS 64, PhD 70

“How do you take a technical solution and make it look cool?” Page asked. “The things that are beautiful excite us and motivate us.”

Alumnus George Bennett, (MS 1964, PhD 1970) spoke about his boyhood introduction to aircraft design and construction in “Hard Lessons Learned in a Career of Rapid Prototype Aircraft and UAV Development Projects.”

“The 10,000-hour rule is to be really good at something it takes 10,000 hours. I had 10,000 hours in by 25,” said Bennett, Emeritus Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Mississippi State University.

Following a Skype internet connection and conversation with Ormsbee’s widow, Jerry, the symposium continued with Paul Dees (BS 1981, MS 1983) who spoke on “Applied Aero Engineering for Fun and Profit – Lessons Learned from Decades in Industry after Being Taught by the Illinois Gurus.”

Paul Dees, BS 81, MS 83
Paul Dees, BS 81, MS 83

Huge among the gurus in Dees’ opinion was Ormsbee. “He was a kind and intense soul,” said Dees, a Technical Fellow of Airplane Configuration & Integration at The Boeing Company. “(Ormsbee) had an amazing grasp of aerodynamics theory, yet was a skilled sailplane pilot.”

 

AE Prof. Michael Selig (BS 1984), the symposium’s next speaker, recalled spending many hours in Ormsbee’s office talking about their mutual interest in aero design and flight. “Flying is really what I’m interested in, and flying efficiently,” Selig said, as he presented, “Low-Speed Airfoil Design and Application.”

Liebeck (BS 1961, MS 1962, PhD 1968), Senior Fellow at The Boeing Company; Adjunct Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Irvine; and Professor of the Practice at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, concluded the symposium with his talk, “Thoughts on Working with A.M.O. Smith.”

Michael Selig, BS 84
Michael Selig, BS 84

Both Ormsbee and Smith greatly influenced Liebeck, who became a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a world-renowned authority in the fields of aerodynamics, hydrodynamics and aircraft design.

Ormsbee persuaded Liebeck to go to graduate school, and the two worked closely on airfoil design, research that Liebeck credits for leading to his 2011 Daniel Guggenheim Medal, one of the most prestigious awards in aviation.

Ormsbee also introduced Liebeck to Smith, who led the Aerodynamics Research Group at Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California, and was Liebeck’s boss. Smith advised Liebeck to work on maximizing airfoil lift, and the work continues to be referenced in aerodynamics textbooks today.

Bob Liebeck, BS 61, MS 62, PhD 68
Bob Liebeck, BS 61, MS 62, PhD 68

Liebeck admired the way that Smith applied his education and real-life practice to developing theories in aerodynamics. “(AMO) got his education, designed airplanes, then did research according to what he learned,” Liebeck noted.

Mark Maughmer, BS 72, PhD 84
Mark Maughmer, BS 72, PhD 84

Following the symposium, visiting alumni and AE Alumni Board members gathered in the evening for a continued celebration of the Ormsbee Professorship announcement. Among speakers at that event was alumnus Mark Maughmer, (BS 1972, PhD 1984), Aerospace Engineering Professor at Pennsylvania State University.

 

Maughmer had earned his bachelor’s in AE without ever having had a class with Ormsbee; their mentorship and friendship came later. Maughmer earned a master’s at Princeton University, then came back to Illinois to pursue his doctorate and great affection for soaring. The sport was something he learned he shared with Ormsbee. “I met with Al and in five minutes I knew this was the person I wanted to do a PhD with.”

After that, Maughmer spent several years soaring with the Ormsbees. “Al and Jerry were my exfacto parents, mentors, and lifelines for getting through this,” Maughmer said.

See more photos from the celebration on AE's Facebook Page.
 


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This story was published October 6, 2015.