You will experience the challenges and triumphs of the Wright Brothers as they conducted experiments that culminated in the world’s first manned, powered flight. This is a dynamic presentation covering Orville and Wilbur Wright's experiments from 1899 to 1912. Explore how these two non-scientists used the scientific method, with rigorous experimentation, elaborate notes, and extensive photographs to solve a monumental engineering problem! The key to the Wright Brother's success was that their engineering had gone beyond the trial and error methods of their contemporaries. Many of their competitors had far better resources for research, but the elegant design of their balance experiments produced the most accurate results. They had to build their own wind tunnel, and performed their own lift and stability experi- ments to do something that no one had done before! Our guest speaker, William F. Chana, has had a distinguished aerospace career that began in 1941 with Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in San Diego. William F. Chana is the immediate past president of the San Diego Aerospace Museum and its International Aerospace Hall of Fame. He has served on the San Diego Aerospace Museum's Board of Directors since 1963. Mr. Chana will bring insight into the work of the Wrights with slides and video. Share the evening with us as we welcome Bill Chana for this presentation!
You will find out what bicycles and early flight had in common, and why maybe it wasn’t so odd that a pair of common? bicycle mechanics were the first to accomplish this incredible feat!
OUR GUEST SPEAKER, WILLIAM F. CHANA
William F. Chana is the immediate past president of the San Diego Aerospace Museum and its International Aerospace Hall of Fame. He was selected as the 1998 A. Verville Fellow by the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
He began his aerospace career in June 1941 with Consolidated Aircraft Corporation. As a Flight Test Engineer he played an active role in flight testing the XB-24 Liberator, the XB-32 heavy bomber, the XC-99 large cargo plane, the TBY-2 torpedo bomber, the XPB2Y-3 seaplane, the XPB4Y-2 patrol bomber, the XF-92A first piloted delta wing, the XFY-1 POGO first VTOL airplane, the XF2Y-1 Seadart supersonic seaplane, and the Convair 240/340 passenger airliners.
In the 1950's, he was a partner in the design and construction of three small aircraft. One of these, the Wee Bee, was a prone piloted aircraft and was listed in the GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS as the World's Lightest Airplane. Mr. Chana was the experimental test pilot for these small aircraft.
In the early 1960's he was Convair's Base Manager for the installation and checkout of operational ATLAS ballistic missiles at Fairchild AFB in Washington. In the mid 60's he was the GD Astronautics Base Manager at the Sycamore Test Site in San Diego, where ATLAS missiles and CENTAUR upper stages were hot fired. In the early ‘70’s, Mr. Chana was Deputy Program Manager on a Rohr Industries program to develop a general aviation triphibian airplane. This advanced concept was designed, built and flight tested.
Mr. Chana is currently President of the San Diego Chapter of the Silver Wings Fraternity. He is a FELLOW in the American Institute of Aeronautics
and Astronautics (AIAA) and a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the American Helicopter Association (AHS), Quiet Birdmen, and OX-5 Pioneers Club. He is currently an AIAA Distinguished Lecturer, giving aerospace historical talks throughout the United States.
He holds an airplane-and glider Commercial Pilots license.
He and his wife, Norine, have three grown daughters and three grandchildren.
| What: | Understanding and Appreciating the Wright Brothers |
| When: | Tuesday, April 13, 1999 |
| Where: | Best Western, Seven Seas Lodge, Hotel Circle South |
| Time: | Social Hour | 6:00 PM |
| Dinner | 7:00 PM | |
| Presentation | 8:00 PM | |
| Prices: ($2.00 off for advanced reservation) |
SAE Members | $18.00 |
| Non Members | $20.00 | |
| Students | $10.00 |
Chairperson:
Kouren Jouldjian
Kyocera America 614-2594
kouren.jouldjian@kyocera.com
Vice Chairperson:
Chris Meyers
PWC - SD Naval Station 545-9246
cmeyers1069@aol.com
Treasurer: Al Klukas
SD County: 670-4524
Secretary: Ed
Padilla
Solar Turbines 694-6904
fasteddy@pacbell.net
Arrangements: Charlie Bach
Solar Turbines 694-6493
Educational Outreach: Dr. W.D. Guentzler
San Diego State University 594-5807
guentzle@mail.sdsu.edu
SDSU SAE: Dr Joseph Katz
Faculty Advisor 594-6074
UCSD SAE: David Benson
Faculty Advisor 534-5928
COMPANY REPRESENTATVES:
| Solar Turbines | Dick LeCren | 544-5531 |
| Sundstrand | Pete Thompson | 627-6572 |
| N. Island Air Station | Chris Meyers | 545-9246 |
| Lockheed Martin | Keith Loss | 673-6525 |
| Nissan Design Center | Daniel Hostetter | 457-4400 |
| Chrysler Pacifica | Paul Kirk | 438-2252 |
| Alturdyne | Scott Duffy | 565-2131 |
| Rohr | Richard Manary | 691-3316 |
| Southwestern College | Tom Teevin | 482-6351 |