Brightest Minds in the Aviation Industry to Attend UD’s von Ohain Center Symposium on the Jet Engine

Millions of people take to the air each day with little thought on how they get from point A to point B.

They can be thankful for the work of the aviation industry elite, including Joseph Sutter, father of the Boeing 747, who will be at the University of Dayton 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 24 in the Jesse C. Philips Humanities Center’s Sears Recital Hall to explain the impact of the jet engine on aviation.

Along with Sutter, Rolls-Royce chairman Sir Ralph Robins and executives from General Electric Co. Aircraft Engines and the U.S. Air Force will make presentations at a free symposium organized by UD’s von Ohain Fuels and Combustion Center.

“We in the von Ohain Center are proud and appreciative of the support we have received from GE, the Air Force and others that make this free symposium possible,” said Dilip Ballal, director of the von Ohain Fuels and Combustion Center. “That support allows us to provide a service to the community, which can enjoy the history of jet engine as well as explore future possibilities.  All of us should be indebted to Brian Rowe of GE Aircraft Engines who kindly agreed to chair this symposium.”

“We are proud of the stature of speakers. Sir Ralph Robins is coming from London just for this.  Plus, we will have a UD alumnus as one of the speakers.”

The graduate, Tim Dues, is product group manager of propulsion systems for the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center’s Air Force Materiel Command at Tinker Air Force Base. He has responsibility for nearly 4,500 military and civilian employees around the world and administers a $3.8 billion budget.

The symposium is a first for the von Ohain Center, established in February to signal the University’s strong commitment to engineering education, scholarly research, and the sharing of knowledge in the area of fuels, combustion and related technologies. It is one of the largest academic centers of excellence working with the Air Force in the areas of fuels and combustion science.

The schedule is:
9:15 a.m.:  Welcome by UD President Dan Curran and Dilip Ballal
9:30 a.m.: Remarks by Brian Rowe, chairman emeritus of GE Aircraft Engines
9:40 a.m.: Sir Ralph Robins; “Beginning of Jet Age in the United Kingdom”
10:20 a.m.: Martin Hemsworth, senior consultant and retired chief engineer for GE Aircraft Engines; “Witness to Jet History: A Personal Look”
11 a.m.: Tim Dues; “Jet Engine in the Military”
1:30 p.m.: Joseph Sutter; “Impact of the Jet Engine on Civil Aviation”
2:10 p.m.: Meyer Benzakein, general manager of advanced engineering at GE Aircraft Engines; “Future of the Jet Engine”
2:50 p.m.: Closing remarks by Brian Rowe 

October 2003

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