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Replace with Your Title Advancing Vertical Flight: A Historical Perspective on AHS International and its Times M.E. Rhett Flater L. Kim Smith AHS Executive Director (1991-2011) AHS Deputy Director (1993-2011) M. E. Rhett Flater & Associates M.E. Rhett Flater & Associates Pine Knoll Shores, NC Pine Knoll Shores, NC ABSTRACT1 This paper describes AHS’s vital role in the development of the rotorcraft industry, with particular emphasis on events since 1990. It includes first-hand accounts of the formation of the Society, how it matured and evolved, and the particular influences that compelled change. It describes key events which occurred during various stages of the Society’s growth, including the formation of its technical committees, the evolution of the AHS Annual Forum and technical specialists’ meetings, and the creation and evolution of the Society’s publications. Featured prominently are accounts of AHS’s role in pursuing a combined government, industry and academia approach to rotorcraft science and technology. Also featured is the creation in 1965 of the Army-NASA Agreement for Joint Participation in Aeronautics Technology, the establishment of the U.S. Army Rotorcraft Centers of Excellence, the National Rotorcraft Technology Center (NRTC), the inauguration of the Congressional Rotorcraft Caucus and its support for the U.S. defense industrial base for rotorcraft, the battle for the survival of NASA aeronautics and critical NASA subsonic ground test facilities, and the launching of the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST). First Annual AHS Banquet, October 7, 1944. 1Presented at the AHS 72nd Annual Forum, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA, May 17-19, 2016. Copyright © 2016 by the American Helicopter Society International, Inc. All rights reserved. 1 Table of Contents ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 3 The American Helicopter Society: The Founding Years .......................................................................................................................... 3 The First AHS Honors Banquet (October 7, 1944); Major Awards..................................................................................................... 5 AHS Annual Forums ........................................................................................................................................................................... 5 The First AHS Headquarters; The First Executive Secretary (1950-1952) .......................................................................................... 6 AHS Forum 16 (May 11-14, 1960); The Presidential Visit ................................................................................................................. 7 AHS Publications ................................................................................................................................................................................ 7 AHS Leadership Structure ................................................................................................................................................................... 8 AHS Membership Growth ................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Student Membership/Chapters; The Vertical Flight Foundation (1967) .............................................................................................. 9 Change of AHS Headquarters; Successive AHS Executive Directors ................................................................................................. 9 Post World War II Developments; Helicopter Military Applications ..................................................................................................... 10 Post-World War II U.S. Helicopter Industry Developments ............................................................................................................. 11 The Marine Corps Defines “Vertical Envelopment” ......................................................................................................................... 12 Inter-Service Disputes on Roles and Missions .................................................................................................................................. 12 The Key West Accords (March 1948) ............................................................................................................................................... 13 Helicopters in the Korean War .......................................................................................................................................................... 13 Vietnam — “The Helicopter War” .................................................................................................................................................... 14 The Johnson-McConnell Agreement (April 6, 1966) ........................................................................................................................ 16 The Army AH-56A Cheyenne (1966-1972) ...................................................................................................................................... 16 U.S. Army and NASA Roles in Rotorcraft Science and Technology .................................................................................................... 17 The Army-NASA Joint Agreement (February 1965) ........................................................................................................................ 18 The Rotorcraft Centers of Excellence (1982) .................................................................................................................................... 18 Project Reliance and Base Closures (1987 -2006) ............................................................................................................................. 19 Key Military Helicopter Programs (1960s and 1970s) ...................................................................................................................... 19 The AHS Matures — 1990 and Beyond ................................................................................................................................................. 21 Forces that Changed the Rotorcraft Industry (and AHS) ................................................................................................................... 21 Changes in Rotorcraft Industry Management Practices ..................................................................................................................... 22 The AHS Charter Committee (1992-1993) ........................................................................................................................................ 23 AHS NASA Testimony before Congress (April 27, 1993) ................................................................................................................ 24 National Rotorcraft Technology Center (NRTC) (1995) ................................................................................................................... 24 The AHS 50th Anniversary (May 10-12, 1994, Washington, D.C.) ................................................................................................... 25 AHS Industrial Base (Congressional) Testimony before Congress (March 7, 1995) ........................................................................ 26 AHS Technical Specialists’ Meetings ............................................................................................................................................... 26 NASA Aeronautics in Crisis (1990-2005) ......................................................................................................................................... 27 Meetings with NASA Senior Leadership and DDRE Dr. Hans Mark (1999) .................................................................................... 27 White House OMB Meetings — NASA Aeronautics (1999) ............................................................................................................ 28 AHS’s “Letter to the President,” — The Washington Post (March 27, 2001) ................................................................................... 28 Creation of the Congressional Rotorcraft Caucus (June 2001) ......................................................................................................... 29 AHS Letter (NASA Aeronautics) to Senate Appropriations (May 3, 2005) ...................................................................................... 30 Congressional Rotorcraft Caucus — FY07 Funding Increase for NASA Aeronautics ...................................................................... 30 Historic NASA Aeronautics Test Facilities Threatened (2003 – 2006) ............................................................................................. 30 Institute of Defense Analyses Report — NFAC (2004) ..................................................................................................................... 31 The Rotorcraft Industrial Base, Post-RAH-66 Comanche .....................................................................................................................
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