Samuel B. Wilson, III

President, AVID LLC

On August 1, 2003, Mr. Wilson joined AVID LLC as President. AVID LLC specializes in aircraft design consulting and creation, dissemination, and maintenance of open-source aircraft analysis and design software. AVID provides aircraft design expertise and software support to U.S. Government agencies and aerospace companies, for both military and commercial sectors. Current projects emphasis design studies and design software for small UAVs and manned aircraft.

Mr. Wilson was the DARPA Program Manager responsible for the Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) program, Organic Air Vehicle (OAV) for Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, Collision Avoidance System program and several seedlings for small, heavy fuel internal combustion engine and autonomous re-supply activities in DARPA. These programs range from a very small air vehicle that can perform reconnaissance missions for improved situational awareness for infantry with a backpack-able UAV (MAV ACTD) to the organic UAV for the smallest effective unit of operation in the FCS concept. The Collision Avoidance System for this class of vehicles requires a sensor system that can help the vehicle autonomously fly under the canopy, in and around buildings, and inside tunnels and caves.

Mr. Wilson was the first DARPA Program Manager responsible for the Orbital Express programs from its creation in August 1999 till he transitioned it to a new PM on January 2001. He managed several seedlings for autonomous satellite docking activity with small businesses.

In the Joint Strike Fighter Program (1994-1999), Mr. Wilson was: Deputy Director of the Joint Advanced Strike Technology Directorate, Lead for the Integrated Propulsion System Technology Team to address the STOVL lift systems, and NASA Liaison. He was Deputy Program Manager of the DARPA led Common Affordable Lightweight Fighter (CALF) program (1993-1995) and moved to JAST when the JAST and CALF programs were merged. Previous positions at NASA have included: Branch Chief of the STOVL Technology Office that was responsible for all NASA activities in the STOVL Research and Technology, Assistant Branch Chief of the Military Technology Branch managing "Special Technology" activities for NASA's Advanced Aircraft Program at Ames (which resulted in the X-36 flight demonstrator), and lead mechanical design engineer managing the piloted flight simulation facility where he earned 2 group achievement awards for support to the Space Shuttle “Approach & Landing Test” and the first Orbital Flight Test projects. He was a co-op student at NASA-JSC.

He was the NASA representative to the CNA Future Carrier Study (1991) and was responsible for directing the Normalization activity of the NASA led US/UK ASTOVL program (1986-1987). He spent a year at DARPA starting in August 1986 helping organize the Nunn-Quayle Amendment funds that DARPA invested in the US/UK ASTOVL Program. Prior to that he led the fixed wing V/STOL assessment team for the Army run JVX study (1984). That program resulted in the V-22 Tilt Rotor aircraft.

Mr. Wilson is a Senior Member of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), American Helicopter Society (AHS), & Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). He is currently a member of the AIAA Aircraft Design TC. He was past Chairman of the AIAA V/STOL Technical Committee (1985-9), past Chairman of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Military and V/STOL Aircraft Technical Committee (1993-5) and past Chairman of the AHS V/STOL Focus Technical Committee (1998-2002). He was Technical Chairman of the International Powered Lift Conference in both 1996 and 2000 and received the "F. E. Newbold V/STOL Award" from the AIAA and numerous other awards and honors for his work in V/STOL activities. He has authored dozens papers and articles on STOVL concepts and conceptual aircraft design and just completed teaching a Graduate & Senior level course on Introduction to V/STOL Aircraft Concepts & Design” at Virginia Tech.

Education

• Bachelor of Science, Engineering Science & Mechanics May '77 – Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
• MS Mechanical Engineering May 1981 - Stanford University