John Langford (engineer)
{{other people|John Langford}}
Dr. John S. Langford is the Founder and CEO of Electra.aero, a startup developing hybrid electric aircraft for regional mobility, flying the Electra EL-2 Goldfinch as a demonstrator.
He managed the MIT Daedalus human powered aircraft project while he was a student at MIT.
He founded Aurora Flight Sciences in 1989.
He was elected President of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in April 2017.
Education and career
Langford received his Ph.D. from MIT in the field of aeronautics and public policy. He also received Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in aeronautics and astronautics and a Master of Science in defense policy and arms control from MIT.
He founded Aurora Flight Sciences in 1989 in order to design and manufacture high altitude UAVs that could be used for global climate change research,{{cite news|author = Peter A. McKay|title = Manassas Firm Strives to Soar in Its Niche; Specializing in Planes for Research Helps Aurora Flight Sciences Take Off|newspaper = The Washington Post|date = June 10, 1998}}{{cite news|author = Robbie Ward|author-link = Robbie Ward|title = Aurora breaks ground on $3M plant|publisher = Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal|date = July 7, 2006}} and was its President and C.E.O.{{cite news|author = Jennifer Buske|title = Firm Hopes Its Aircraft Design Will Launch a New Era|newspaper = The Washington Post|date = May 4, 2008}}
In 2004, Langford received Virginia’s Outstanding Industrialist award for his contribution to business development in Virginia.{{cite news|author=Kris Miller |title=Aurora President John Langford Selected as Virginia's Outstanding Industrialist for 2004 |publisher=Aurora Flight Sciences |date=March 2, 2004 |url=http://www.aurora.aero/communications/item.aspx?id=apr-152 |access-date=July 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209194527/http://aurora.aero/Communications/Item.aspx?id=apr-152 |archive-date=December 9, 2010 }}
In April 2017, John Langford was elected President of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).{{cite web|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/langford-elected-as-next-president-of-aiaa-300439040.html|title=Langford Elected as Next President of AIAA|website=Prnewswire.com|date=12 April 2017|access-date=19 July 2018}}
Aurora Flight Sciences was sold to Boeing in 2017.{{cite news |url= https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/advanced-air-mobility/electraaero-completes-first-flights-hybrid-estol-demonstrator |title= Electra.aero Completes First Flights With Hybrid eSTOL Demonstrator |author= Ben Goldstein |date= November 21, 2023 |work= Aviation Week}}
In 2018, he was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for the application of autonomy and robotics to the design, development, production, and operation of advanced aircraft.
See also
References
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Category:American aerospace engineers
Category:American chief executives
Category:MIT School of Engineering alumni
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
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