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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Mr. Hans Weichsel

Hans Weichsel, Jr. received his BSE in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1943. Today, he is a retired senior vice president of Bell Helicopter Textron.

After graduating from the University of Michigan, Mr. Weichsel was a flight research engineer and pilot for Curtis-Wright Research Laboratories in Buffalo (which later became Cornell Research Laboratories). There, he specialized in high-speed flutter and dynamics. His flight test experience in the transonic Mach regime and dynamics led him into rotary wing research where he specialized in helicopter vibration isolation and the first usage of fiber glass rotor blades. He did the initial flight research with fiber glass main rotor blades that were used to pioneer rotor blade harmonic analysis.

Mr. Weichsel joined Bell in 1950 as a contracts administrator and demonstration pilot. Later, he served as supervisor of Sales Engineering. In 1960, he became assistant vice president of the company. During his career at Bell, he was vice president of Logistics and all segments of marketing - Military, Commercial, and International. Later, as Bell Helicopter Textron's senior vice president, Product Development, he was instrumental in the development and evolution of many world renowned helicopters including the Bell Huey evolution, Cobra gunship, Tug, and Jet Ranger series. He has written many technical papers on helicopters and flight research. He has been a U of M Department of Aerospace Engineering student seminar guest lecturer as well as a presenter at the University's 1989 Aeronautical and Design Symposium, "The Lessons Learned." He is a fellow, American Helicopter Society, an associate fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and a recipient of a Congressional citation for his contributions in rotary wing applications in Vietnam. He has been certified as a Professional Logistician by the Society of Logistics Engineers ad is included in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World. He is a member of the Twirly Birds, an organization of pioneer helicopter pilots, Quiet Birdmen (QB), and a past officer of numerous other professional and social organizations.