Boeing Alum Recognized for Advancement of Vertical Flight

The Vertical Flight Society has announced its selection for the 2024 Alexander A. Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship, granting him a chance to speak on his areas of expertise.

His Nikolsky Lecture, “Rotorcraft Aeromechanics Methodology and its Application to Rotor Dynamics, Loads, Vibration and Aeroelastic Stability at Boeing”, provides an interesting capstone to 44 years of engineering study and application. Doctor Panda spent more than 4 decades in the industry, with 33 years in the Boeing family.

Panda's work saw the application of Rotorcraft Comprehensive Analysis System to Boeing’s high-altitude, very flexible, propeller-driven drone lineup. Those lessons proved invaluable for a DARPA contract to complete the Vulture program, offering a "breakthrough" in design analysis, loads, and whirl flutter stability. Panda's work largely pertained to Boeing family products in common use today, including the Chinook, Osprey, Apache, and RAH-66 Comanche. The run-of-the-mill stuff wasn't all, however, with plenty of next-gen work to be done. Hybrid concepts like Boeing's Heliwing VTOL UAV, a Dual-Plane Tiltrotor, and the DARPA DiscRotor managed to keep Panda busy in between bread and butter Boeing helicopters.

Dr. Panda will present his Nikolsky Lecture at the Vertical Flight Society’s 80th Annual Forum & Technology Display held May 7, 2024, at the Palais des Congrès de Montréal, Canada. After his lecture, he will be honored at the Annual Grand Awards Ceremony, where he will be given the Alexander A. Nikolsky medallion and certificate. His detailed written treatise expanding the lecture will be featured in the Journal of the AHS.

FMI: www.vtol.org/nikolsky