Fly-By-Wire

Vernon R. Schmitt Vernon R. Schmitt, a native of Columbus, Ohio, is an alumnus of the Ohio State University College of Engineering. He retired as a civilian project engineer from the U.S. Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base after spending more than 30 years on research and development programs related to flight control and servo actuation systems. After retiring, Mr. Schmitt was a consultant to the Flight Dynamics Laboratory for the next 15 years in support of its flight control research programs. He was responsible for research and development efforts on fly-by-wire by the Douglas Aircraft Company, Sperry Phoenix Corporation, LTV E-Systems, and the in-house work on the B-47 aircraft. Following World War II military service, Mr. Schmitt spent six years in the Guided Missile Section at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and was responsible for the flight control systems on the Matador and Rascal missiles. Part of his five-year military career was spent with the Special Weapons Group, which dealt with controlled bombs, now referred to as “smart bombs,” and as instructor on bombsights and the C-1 autopilot.

Gavin D. Jenney earned a B .S. in Mechanical Engineering at Lafayette College, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Rochester, a Ph.D. in Engineering at Ohio State University, and an M.B.A. at Wright State University. Since 1974, Dr. Jenney has been president of Dynamic Controls, Inc. and has directed the company’s technical effort in research and development programs with the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. These programs have been involved with advanced electrohydraulic control system technology. Prior to starting Dynamic Controls, Inc., Dr. Jenney was principal investigator for the Hydraulic Research and Manufacturing Company on four consecutive research and development programs at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. As part of this effort, he directed the design of the two-axis B-47 fly-by-wire control system and flew with the test aircraft as test engineer. Dr. Jenney has written more than 25 publications on the results of research and development in flight control systems, and he holds eight patents in this area.

James W. Morris James W. Morris earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alabama and an M.S. in Armament Engineering at the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology. He has 43 years of combined experience with the U.S. Air Force as a military officer and a civilian consultant to U.S. Air Force research and development projects. Mr. Morris rose through the ranks as project engineer on a diverse collection of technical development programs including conventional aircraft armaments; guided aircraft rockets; fly-by-wire flight control systems; digital computers; satellite and space vehicle controls; and systems integration of flight control with fire control, propulsion, and navigation. At the U.S. Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory, Mr. Morris was Program Manager of the U.S. Air Force Survivable Flight Control System Program, a program that made fly-by-wire an operational reality. His efforts ensured successful transition of this technology to aircraft such as the F- 16, F- 18, B-. 1, B-2, F-20, F-22, and F- 117, and for engine controls. For these accomplishments, Mr. Morris was awarded the U.S. Air Force Meritorious Service Award and the AFA Meritorious Award for Program Management. Mr. Morris now provides technical, management, and administrative consultant services to the Flight Control Division of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.