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.