Company:Skyworks Aeronautics
| Type | Aircraft manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founder | David and Jay Groen |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois , United States |
Key people | |
| Subsidiaries | American Autogyro |
| Website | skyworks-aero |
Skyworks Aeronautics Corp., formerly Groen Brothers Aviation, Inc., Groen Aeronautics Corporation and Skyworks Global, is an American autogyro research and development company based in Chicago . The company was founded in 1986 by David Groen and his late brother Jay Groen in Salt Lake City, Utah. David Groen remains as Senior Advisor.[3][4][5]
In 2001, Time (magazine) magazine listed GBA's Hawk Gyroplane as one of their featured "Inventions of the Year."[6]
History
The original name of Skyworks Aeronautics Corp. was Groen Brothers Aviation. It started out by incorporating helicopter design components into autogyro design. They added helicopter-style collective pitch control which allowed their aircraft to achieve vertical takeoff and landing and to stabilize flight at high and low speeds.[7]
The company holds three U.S. patents[8] and several international patents associated with their variable pitch rotor system. Following the first flight of their proof-of-concept aircraft in 1987, the company flew several larger prototype autogyros during the 1990s.[9]
In September 1999 the company flew their first piston-engine powered prototype of the four-seat Hawk 4. The turbine-engined prototype first flew in July 2000, with a Rolls-Royce 250 420 hp (313 kW) turboprop engine and was the world’s first turbine powered gyroplane. The design's rotor blades used a company-developed natural laminar-flow airfoil.[7][10][unreliable source?]
In 2002, the company provided the Utah Olympic Public Safety Command (UOPSC) a Hawk 4 prototype for perimeter patrol around the Salt Lake City International Airport during the 2002 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The Hawk 4 completed 67 missions over 75 hours of flying time during the 90-day contract.[11]
In February, 2003, the company introduced its “Stabilization Augmentation Kit,”[12] designed to improve in-flight stability and safety for kit gyroplanes on the market. The company entered the kit market with the Sparrowhawk. The company discontinued Sparrowhawk kit production, but formed American Autogyro, as a subsidiary to produce and sell Sparrowhawk kits as a separate business.
In November, 2005, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) selected a company-led team to design a proof-of-concept high-speed, long-range, VTOL GBA-DARPA Heliplane designed for combat search and rescue.[13] The project was named the “Heliplane” by DARPA and intended to meet economy and performance goals not achievable by existing aircraft. The company completed work for Phase I of the project in 2009, but the project has not been further funded.
In December 2012, Steve G. Stevanovich led an acquisition of Groen Brothers Aviation by forming a new private company, Groen Aeronautics Corporation, which was registered in Delaware and acquired all the assets of the public Company Groen Brothers Aviation, Inc. This acquisition was accomplished in a transaction equal to more than $210 million. Groen Brothers Aviation Inc. retains a minority share holding in the Groen Aeronautics Corporation.[14] Groen Aeronautics Corporation has since been re-branded as Skyworks Aeronautics Corp.[15]
Aircraft flight test programs
- Hawk Point Five – single seat gyroplane with collective pitch-controlled rotor, open-frame gyroplane. First aircraft built by GBA. (1987)[16]
- Hawk 1 – single seat gyroplane with collective pitch-controlled rotor, retractable landing gear, fully enclosed stressed skin monocoque design.[16]
- H2X – side-by-side two seat version of the Hawk 1 gyroplane.[citation needed]
- Hawk 4 – four seat gyroplane with piston engine, designed to meet FAA type certification. (1999) Eventually incorporated a Rolls-Royce gas turbine engine, named the Hawk 4T. (2000)[16]
- RevCon 6-X – test conversion of a Cessna 337 Skymaster airplane. This aircraft conversion tested the theory of using fixed-wing airplanes as the basic airframes for gyroplanes to reduce cost and shorten development time.[citation needed]
- SparrowHawk – two seat gyroplane with aluminum frame, centerline thrust aircraft, wide-molded fiberglass cabin with adjustable seating. (2003)[16]
Aircraft design programs
- GBA GyroLiner – commuter airliner.[citation needed]
- GBA GyroLifter – heavy-lift gyroplanes and gyrodynes of various sizes up to 160,000 lbs. GVW.[citation needed]
- GBA ArrowHawk – seven seat turboprop gyroplane.[citation needed]
- GBA-DARPA Heliplane – gyrodyne capable of 400 mph, 1,000 nautical mile range, HOGE at 4,000 feet and 95 °F.
- Groen ShadowHawk – tandem two seat gyroplane for aerial observation.[17]
References
- ↑ "Bio: Steve G. Stevanovich, Executive Director". Skyworks Global. https://skyworks-global.com/steve-g-stevanovich/.
- ↑ "Groen Aeronautics Names General John Michel to Board of Directors". http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/03/prweb14146499.htm.
- ↑ Best Inventions of 2001, Time.com, retrieved 3 January 2012
- ↑ "Heliplane", GlobalSecurity.org
- ↑ Scott, W.B. "Hawk 4T breathes new life into gyroplanes," Aviation Week & Space Technology, 6 November 2000, Vol. 153, no. 19, pp. 54-56.
- ↑ "Best Inventions of 2001", Time.com
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 One Step Beyond, Rotor & Wing, retrieved 3 January 2012
- ↑ "Groen Brother’s Aviation", U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- ↑ Garvey, W. "Gyrocopters Grow Up," Popular Mechanics, June 1996, pp. 75-77.
- ↑ “Hawk 4 Gyroplane”, Aerospace-Technology.com
- ↑ “Olympic Security Aided by Groen Brother’s Hawk”, Aero-News Network
- ↑ “Groen Brothers Announces Kit Market Entry,” Aero-News Network
- ↑ “DARPA Funding Gyrodyne Heliplane R&D”, Defense Industry Daily
- ↑ Groen Aeronautics Corporation. "About GAC". www.groenaeronautics.com. http://www.groenaeronautics.com/about-gba/.
- ↑ Skyworks Global Inc. (24 April 2017). "Groen Aeronautics Re-branded as Skyworks Aeronautics Corp.". www.prnewswire.com. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/groen-aeronautics-re-branded-as-skyworks-global-300443898.html. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Gary Vassalotti (30 November 2006). "Company History - GNBA Benchmark Research Report". http://vimcor.com/research/research/gnba_benchmark_11012006.pdf. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ↑ Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 84. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ISSN 1368-485X
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