HAMPTON, Virginia – You can ask any airline passenger if air travel can be improved and the answer would be a resounding yes. A future fix of commuter travel by air could lie in autonomy, and that will be discussed Tuesday, June 5 at NASA’s Langley Research Center and again at the Virginia Air and Space Center, both in Hampton, Virginia.
John S. Langford, the chairman and CEO of Manassas, Virginia-based Aurora Flight Sciences Corp., will give a lecture, ”The Road to Advanced Autonomous Air Transportation,” at 2 p.m. in Langley’s Pearl Young Theater as part of the center’s Colloquium Series lecture. He will also give the talk at 7:30 p.m. at the Virginia Air and Space Center as part of the Sigma Series of lectures.
The Sigma Series talk is free, while the lecture at Langley is for center employees and the news media. Media wishing to attend the Langley lecture should contact Eric Gillard at 757-864-7423 or eric.s.gillard@nasa.gov by noon EST Monday, June 4 for credentials and entry to Langley.
Vertical Takeoff
It has been more than 50 years since the golden age of air travel pushed the concept of a flying car into popular culture. The glamour of the jet age has since been replaced with long lines, overbooked flights and lost luggage.
This discussion will examine how the limitations air travel are positively advancing the concept of point-to-point, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) travel. Langford will also examine how solving the challenges of VTOL operations will open a new market for autonomous air transportation.
Langford received his bachelor’s degree, two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). While at MIT, Langford organized and led a series of human-powered aircraft projects, culminating in the Daedalus Project, which shattered the world distance and endurance records for human-powered flight with a 72-mile flight.
He has received numerous awards, including the Cliff Henderson Trophy from the National Aeronautics Association, the DeFlorez Prize from MIT, and the Kremer Speed Prize from the Royal Aeronautical Society. Langford is a Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and was elected president for the 2018-20 term. Langford served on the NASA Advisory Council and chaired its Subcommittee on Unmanned Air Systems. In 2015, he chaired the Virginia Commission on Unmanned Systems.
NASA Langley’s Colloquium and Sigma lectures provide monthly talks and demonstrations related to science and technology. The lectures are intended to stimulate the creative processes of Langley employees and enhance the quality of life at Langley by providing more opportunities for learning. For more information about NASA Langley’s Colloquium and Sigma Series Lectures, visit:
http://colloqsigma.larc.nasa.gov
Eric Gillard
NASA Langley Research Center
Hampton, Virginia
757-864-7423
eric.s.gillard@nasa.gov