ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (July 20, 2016) -- The American Helicopter Society established an Aberdeen-area local chapter. The group is the world's only "international technical society for engineers, scientists and others working on vertical flight technology," according to its website.
"We bring together industry, academia and governments to tackle the toughest challenges in vertical flight," the site states.
At APG, scientists and engineers supporting the U.S. Army Research Laboratory's Sciences for Maneuver Campaign requested the chapter to gather all members of the mid-Atlantic region rotorcraft communities.
"The society is the primary forum for interchange of information on vertical flight technology," said Michael Avera, an Army engineer organizing an Aug. 18 kickoff event.
The new chapter will host a lecture from Bell Helicopter Textron chief technologist Tom Wood and a tour of the Army's Vehicle Technology Laboratory.
"Mr. Wood will present his Nikolsky lecture from this year's AHS Annual Forum," Avera said. "We're inviting interested people in the rotorcraft communities from the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. There is no fee and refreshments will be served."
Mike Hirschberg, American Helicopter Society International executive director will also be in attendance.
"We wanted to establish a local chapter of AHS due to the high concentration of researchers in the Aberdeen area," Avera said. "Between the Aberdeen Proving Ground North and South campuses and the surrounding area, there are a number of companies and organizations researching technologies to advance the capabilities of vertical lift platforms."
The American Helicopter Society International is the premier vertical lift technical society and is a great asset to researchers across many disciplines, he said. Before, the nearest AHS local chapters to Aberdeen were the Federal City chapter in Washington, D.C., and the Philadelphia chapter.
Avera said the local chapter will promote research taking place in the area, provide networking and collaboration opportunities and offer educational events to the local community.
"We plan to regularly host chapter meetings, which incorporate distinguished speaker presentations laboratory tours and other events," he said. "Some AHS local chapters of also hold technical workshops for specific disciplines within vertical lift research and the Aberdeen chapter hopes to host a workshop in the near future."
Those interested in attending the Aug. 18 event and tour must RSVP by email at aberdeen@vtol.org.
"Non-U.S. citizens will need to RSVP by Wednesday, Aug. 3," Avera said. "AHS is an amazing resource for the rotorcraft community worldwide. Engineers can have their work published by AHS's peer reviewed technical publication, The Journal of the American Helicopter Society, which is the world's only scientific publication that focuses exclusively on vertical flight technology. AHS also hosts an annual forum and technology display where members from industry, government, and academia present their research and products. The annual forum is a great opportunity for engineers to learn and collaborate. Becoming a member of AHS is also a great way to stay informed of the latest news in the industry through the Vertiflite magazine."
More information is available at the chapter's website.
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The U.S. Army Research Laboratory is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to ensure decisive overmatch for unified land operations to empower the Army, the joint warfighter and our nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.
Related Links:
Sciences-for-Maneuver Campaign Plan
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