Resume for Dan M. Somers

Education
- Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 1974
Employment History
- President, Airfoils Incorporated, 1980 to present
- Research Engineer, NASA Langley Research Center, 1974 to 1989
Qualifications and Major Contributions
- Internationally recognized expert in airfoil design, analysis, and testing
- Developed Eppler Airfoil Design and Analysis Code with Richard Eppler
- Chairman, Aerodynamics Committee, Technical Board, Soaring Society of America
Designed:
- S101 and S102 airfoils for general aviation aircraft
- S201 airfoil for a cruise missile
- S202 airfoil for a tilt-wing aircraft
- S203 airfoil for a business jet
- S401 and S402 airfoils for a gyroplane
- S601 and S602 airfoils for unmanned aerial vehicles
- SM701 airfoil for a sailplane
- S801 through S829 and S901 through S903 airfoils for wind turbines
- S904 and S905 airfoils for cooling-tower fans
- NASA NLF(1)-0416, NLF(1)-0215F, NLF(1)-0315, and NLF(1)-0115 airfoils for general aviation aircraft
- NASA NLF(1)-1015 airfoil for long-endurance aircraft
- NASA/DLR NLF(2)-0415 airfoil for commuter aircraft
- High-lift systems for S202 airfoil
Conducted investigations in:
- NASA Langley Low-Turbulence Pressure Tunnel (LTPT)
- Low-turbulence wind tunnel of Delft University of Technology Low Speed Laboratory
- The Pennsylvania State University low-speed, low-turbulence wind tunnel
- DLR Transonic Wind Tunnel Braunschweig (TWB)
Received:
- 1991 Soaring Society of America Exceptional Service Award
- 1991 R&D 100 Award for the Development of Advanced Wind Turbine Blades, with James L. Tangler and James V. Frerotte
- 1984 NASA Langley Research Center Floyd L. Thompson Fellowship for Medium-Speed, Natural-Laminar-Flow Airfoil Design in cooperation with Universitat Stuttgart and DLR Braunschweig
Related
For the full catalog of Dan's technical reports, see Publications. To get in touch, see Contact.