AHS International – The Vertical Flight Technical Society – today announced the winners of its prestigious Robert L. Lichten technical awards and its annual membership awards. These winners will be recognized at the Grand Awards Banquet on Wednesday, May 6, 2015 during AHS International’s 71st Annual Forum and Technology Display in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. The AHS Annual Forum is the world’s oldest and largest conference on vertical flight technology.

The Robert L. Lichten Award was established in 1976 to encourage AHS members who have not previously presented the results of their work at a technical meeting to begin through presentations at local and regional AHS meetings. The Lichten award winner presents his/her technical paper at the Forum and is provided with a $500 honorarium from Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc., and complimentary travel to and lodging at the Forum. The first runner-up is also given the opportunity to present at the Forum and receives complimentary Forum registration.

This year’s winner of the Robert L. Lichten Award is Isaac Bandy, now at MTS Systems Corporation, for his paper “Health Management Technology Integration and Verification,” which he wrote while at Sikorsky Aircraft. The runner-up is David A. Coleman, a graduate research assistant at Texas A&M University, for his paper “Design, Development and Flight-Testing of a Robotic Hummingbird.” Both papers will be presented at Forum 71.

The award was established in 1975 to honor the memory of Robert L. Lichten, an outstanding rotary wing engineer and the Society’s 22nd President. Robert Lichten was a skilled and dedicated innovator who spent much of his career championing early tiltwing and tiltrotor concepts until his unfortunate death in an automobile accident. Many who knew him called him the “Pioneer of TiltRotor Technology.”

Also presented at the Grand Awards Banquet are the AHS International Membership Awards, for the period of April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015:

1) Individual Sponsor Contest: The AHS member who sponsors the greatest number of new members during the contest year wins free registration for the individual and a guest at the AHS Annual Forum, as well as travel and lodging expenses. This year’s winner is the AHS Philadelphia Chapter’s Steven I. Glusman, Director of Advanced Vertical Lift at The Boeing Company, who sponsored 8 new members over the past year. The AHS Stratford Chapter’s William A. Welsh, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., is the runner-up with 7 new members sponsored.

2) Chapter Member Increase Contest: This awarded is given to the AHS Chapter with the greatest net growth at the end of the contest period. The AHS Montreal-Ottawa Chapter won with 108 new members. The AHS Germany Chapter was the runner-up with 32 new members.

3) Chapter Percent Increase Contest: First place is awarded to the AHS Chapter with the greatest percent increase at the end of the contest period. The AHS Germany Chapter increased by 30%. The runner-up was the AHS Korea Chapter, with nearly a 29% increase.

4) Every-Member-Get-A-Member Contest: First place is presented to the Chapter whose members sponsor the most new members during the contest period. The Chapter receives one credit for each Chapter member who sponsors a new member. The AHS Philadelphia Chapter is the winner this year, with 18 of its members sponsoring new members. The AHS Southwest Chapter, based in Ft. Worth, Texas was the runner-up, with 16 members sponsoring at least one new member.

These membership contests are an important way that AHS International members reach out to attract new members. AHS membership has increased by more than 14% since April 2011.

Each recipient will be honored at the Annual Award Banquet and receive a plaque signifying their accomplishment. As previously announced the prestigious AHS International Awards Program will also recognize the extraordinary achievements and contributions of the very best of the technical and operating communities at the 71st Annual Grand Awards Banquet. More than two dozen awards will be presented.

AHS International – The Vertical Flight Technical Society – has over 6,500 members in more than 40 countries and is the world’s leading technical society dedicated to the advancement of vertical flight technology and its applications. More information about the AHS International 71st Annual Forum & Technology Display is available at www.vtol.org/forum.