The next meeting of the Huffman Prairie Aviation Historical Society will take place on Monday, July 2, at 7:00pm. All are welcome!
Richard Wills will present “Rocketry: Principles, History, & Future.”
Rick Wills is currently a subject matter expert with Aerospace Business Development Associates. He assists his clients in engaging with DOD. Previously, he was a research engineer at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Fuels & Energy Branch. His research focus is fuel cooling technology and propellants for high speed vehicles. He worked in variety of aircraft acquisition programs: as the lead propulsion engineer for the C-5 Re-engineering program, was on the cockpit design team of the C-17, and was a crew systems engineer in the Air Force One acquisition. He also conducted scramjet and ducted rocket testing during an Air Force engineering exchange program. Rick retired from Air Force Reserve as a Captain; he was commissioned from the enlisted ranks. He was also the founder and President of as small start-up business, Midwest Rocket Incorporated (MRI). MRI tested small liquid low-cost rocket engines and taught classes in rocketry. He is an aviation ground instructor and holds a commercial pilot’s license with an instrument rating.
Rick has been extremely interested in space development his entire life. His love of all things space started while, in 4th grade, watching the John Glenn launch on February 20th 1962. He graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering in 1982. He graduated from the International Space University in 1992 and received an MBA in project management from Wright State University in 2000. He was a founding member of a space activist organization, the Midwest Space Development Corporation (MSDC). MSDC ran the Midwest Space Development Conference for 12 years. He has participated in a team studying a space tourism vertical take-off and landing vehicle and was a member of the Cheap Access to Space (CATS Prize) team, Great Lakes Rocket Society. He was also a founding member of the Google Lunar Landing X Prize Team, LunaTrex. His main passion is working on his rocket engine test stand. He has been married to his wife Carolyn for 43 years, has two adult children and two grandsons.
The program will be held at the East Interpretive Center, Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, 2380 Memorial Road (intersection of State Route 444 and Kauffman Road), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
For questions about the event, please call 937-775-2092 or email archives@www.libraries.wright.edu.