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| Eric Raymond | |
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Eric Raymond's career in flying began with hang gliding. In addition to numerous contest wins, he earned the title of World aerobatic champion in 1983 and 1984 consecutively. He designed and constructed the finest harness systems available at the time. His designs were widely copied and much of his original equipment is still in use today. He was invited to fly Gunther Rochelt's human powered Musculair 2 and with Rochelt's help he formulated the concept for the Sunseeker. The Sunseeker went on to break all previous records for solar powered aircraft. Raymond studied aeronautical engineering at University of California San Diego and also photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology, he has dozens of magazine covers to his credit. From 2003 - 2007 he worked with AeroVironment on classified projects building unmanned aircraft with advanced composite materials for the U.S. military. Eric holds a commercial, as well as an instructor rating in gliders. |
| Alan Cocconi | |
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The founder of AC Propulsion in San Dimas, CA, Alan is the preeminent high power electrical systems expert in the world. His career traces the cutting edge of electric vehicle development. From the record setting GM Sunraycer to GM's EV1 to his own Tzero electric car, Cocconi's work has been the foundation for the most successful electric vehicles ever built. The systems developed for the Tzero are in use in the Venturi Fetish sports car built in Monaco and also were licensed to Tesla Motors to serve as the foundation for their roadster. Turning his focus towards aviation, Alan quickly established himself with his record breaking SoLong UAV. Alan designed the motor for the Sunseeker and is currently involved in the development of more powerful electric motors for larger aircraft. |
| Frederik Ottesen | |
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Frederik is an experienced entrepreneur and innovative thinker. In 1998, Ottesen's background in mechanical engineering and economics led him to help start a software company, Matriks A/S, and direct it to success. Within 10 years, he was elected chairman of the board. His insatiable curiosity and passion for adventure took him on a two year circumnavigation of the globe, exposing him to remote corners of the world and testing his resilience. Forward thinking, dynamic and passionate, Frederik works closely alongside Solar Flight's engineers and aviators to develop the company's new projects. |
| Luka Znidarsic | |
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Luka
is an experienced sailplane pilot and aerospace engineer. He brought Eric
Raymond to Slovenia for the first time, and showed him the possibilities
there for flying and electric aircraft development. He has also just test
flown his LAK17 with electric propulsion of his own design.
Luka is doing CAD work and stress analysis on the fuselage for SUNSEEKER III |
| Klaus Savier | |
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A skilled designer, builder, and pilot, Klaus Savier is the President and Founder of Light Speed Engineering based in Santa Paula, California. Their main focus is to help develop general aviation as a safe, economical and feasible mode of personal transportation. This includes the production of composite parts aimed to improve aircraft stability, speed, and efficiency as well as electronic ignition conversions that dramatically improve engine performance. Klaus is an expert in the field of propeller design. He designs and builds composite propellers for light aircraft and is responsible for the the remarkably light folding propeller on the Sunseeker. He also flew the chase/camera plane following the Sunseeker across the United States. Additionally, Klaus has designed and built light-weight filament wound pressure vessels that have set a new standard for the industry. |
| Bryan Allen | |
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The pilot of Gossamer Condor and Gossamer Albatross
for the record breaking man powered flights on the late 1970's, Bryan is
also a hang glider and ultralight pilot, and helped develop and fly Bill
Watson's White Dwarf pedal powered blimp. Bryan is involved with fund raising efforts for the SUNSHIP project, Solar Flight's bid for an around the World solar powered flight. He has a strong interest in airships, and all forms of electric and man powered aircraft. |
| Bill Watson | |
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A designer and builder with a long history of unique aircraft. Bill Watson is an expert in the field of airship design and construction. He served as the chief construction engineer for the Icarus HPA-1 and Gossamer Albatross human powered aircraft. He also designed and built the human powered airship White Dwarf, which set a distance record for its class with Bryan Allen as pilot and motor. He has consulted extensively with numerous companies including Boeing in the development of their own airship projects. |
| David Freund | |
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David has a long working relationship with key members of Solar Flight’s team. He is an experienced designer and builder of light-weight aircraft structures. In addition to working as a shop manager at AeroVironment, Freund worked extensively with Eric Raymond and Bill Watson on the development of the Sunseeker from the initial concept through its flight testing. He was also a member of the team of pilots that flew Alan Cocconi’s solar-powered SoLong UAV for its 48 hour record flight and is a key documentarian for Solar Flight specializing in aerial photography. |
| Bruce Carmichael | |
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Bruce H. Carmichael earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Michigan in 1944. He worked for Chance Vought and Goodyear Aircraft as an Applied Aerodynamic Engineer and later joined the late Dr. August Raspet's team at Mississippi State conducting flight research on boundary layer control. Before retiring from North American Rockwell, he worked on low drag underwater vehicles with Dr. Max Kramer. His 43-year career has been split between analytical and experimental work in both hydro- and aerodynamics. It included test programs in low-turbulence wind tunnels, in flight, in water tunnels, water basins, deep lakes and the ocean. The emphasis throughout was on laminar flow, both natural and suction-stabilized, and on the aerodynamics of the critical Reynolds Number regime. Carmicael has lectured at Cal Tech, USC and MIT. He has been featured speaker at National Soaring Conventions, Experimental Aircraft Association conventions and Sailplane Homebuilders Association workshops and his work widely published in books, magazines and technical journals. |
| Floyd Fronius | |
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Floyd has been involved with aeronautics for most of his life and has a keen interest in developing new technologies for flight applications. He is a skilled machinist who made both tooling and hardware for Sunseeker I and II. His company, Aeolus Machine, has worked on diverse aircraft from the Basic Ultralight Glider series to the Lighthawk microlift sailplane in addition to projects with Solar Flight. Floyd is an experienced pilot with many hours spent flying hang gliders and unique ultralight aircraft including Solar Flight's Edelweiss sailplane. He is also a crewmember for the 2009 European Tour with the Sunseeker II. |