Skyworks Aeronautics

Short description: American autogyro research and development company

Skyworks Aeronautics Corp.Type| Aircraft manufacturer

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Industry| Aviation
Founded| 1986
Founder| David and Jay Groen
Headquarters|

Chicago, Illinois

United States

Key people

* Steve G. Stevanovich[1] (Executive Director)
* Brig. General John Michel[2] (Executive Director)

Subsidiaries| American Autogyro
Website| skyworks-aero.com
GBA Founders: David and Jay Groen with Hawk 1

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]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Aircraft flight test programs
* 3 Aircraft design programs
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## 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?]

The Hawk 4 provided perimeter patrol during the 2002 Winter Olympics.

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

1. ↑ "Bio: Steve G. Stevanovich, Executive Director". Skyworks Global. https://skyworks-global.com/steve-g-stevanovich/.
2. ↑ "Groen Aeronautics Names General John Michel to Board of Directors". http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/03/prweb14146499.htm.
3. ↑ Best Inventions of 2001, Time.com, retrieved 3 January 2012
4. ↑ "Heliplane", GlobalSecurity.org
5. ↑ Scott, W.B. "Hawk 4T breathes new life into gyroplanes," Aviation Week & Space Technology, 6 November 2000, Vol. 153, no. 19, pp. 54-56.
6. ↑ "Best Inventions of 2001", Time.com
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 One Step Beyond, Rotor & Wing, retrieved 3 January 2012
8. ↑
9. ↑ Garvey, W. "Gyrocopters Grow Up," Popular Mechanics, June 1996, pp. 75-77.
10. ↑ “Hawk 4 Gyroplane”, Aerospace-Technology.com
11. ↑ “Olympic Security Aided by Groen Brother’s Hawk”, Aero-News Network
12. ↑ “Groen Brothers Announces Kit Market Entry,” Aero-News Network
13. ↑ “DARPA Funding Gyrodyne Heliplane R&D”, Defense Industry Daily
14. ↑ Groen Aeronautics Corporation. "About GAC". www.groenaeronautics.com. http://www.groenaeronautics.com/about-gba/.
15. ↑ 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. ↑ 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.
17. ↑ Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 84. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ISSN 1368-485X

## External links

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