History

Back in 1999, John Shrader and his wife were visiting with us for some R&R. I had just seen a picture of a stopped rotor aircraft concept. The idea had always fascinated me, ever since as a child I saw one of the first flights of the Fairey Rotodyne, although not actually a stopped rotor. The obvious utility of it started to preoccupy my subconscious I suppose. The idea of doing away with miles and miles of concrete, the resurgence of rural air service and the obvious military implications. I started sketching right there and then. I asked John for his opinion. “The industry seems to have rejected the idea.” he said.

Well, the years went by and I read and reread the literature but nothing. The airline industry was in turmoil. So I decided to retire (two years early). We went sailing. I sketched and sketched, rolls and rolls of yellow trash paper. We moved to the mountains of North Carolina, at the urging of our friends Bob and Susan Wolsey. I built a design office in the back of the garage and started drawing for real.

Don’t invent what you don’t have to invent. I remember the automobile took off once they realized the controls had to be standardized, and you had to have a starter. Slowly but slowly, I realized that my architectural instincts were taking over. Thinking of everything, all at the same time. This type of vehicle was needed right now. We had to be able to fast track it like a large building project. You had to have quick access to fix write-ups quickly, fine tune it for your customer’s missions (interchangeable wing sets) and low vis landing capability. It had to look like something people would want to fly in, comfortable, fast. The SC-1 began to emerge. John Shrader and Bob Wolsey were people I could trust and had skill sets I did not. “LAC” was formed to bring together a team to verify and bring the SC-1 to first flight, then production.