Ray Morgan

2016 SA Symposium Dr. Paul B. MacCready Honorary Lecturer

The 2016 Sustainable Aviation Symposium is proud to announce that Dr. MacCready’s long-time and renowned colleague, Ray Morgan, has been chosen to deliver the first inaugural honorary Dr. Paul B. MacCready Lecture on the theme of “doing more with much less”.  Ray’s lecture, “From Solar Challenger to HALE Aircraft, Doing More with Much Less” is sure to be packed with relevant insights for the future of electric aviation.

For two decades Ray was Director of AeroVironment’s Design and Development Center in Simi Valley, CA, transforming many of Dr. MacCready’s ideas into realities. There he oversaw the creation of one record-breaking airplane after another, from the human-piloted Solar Challenger that flew from Paris to England in 1981 to the Helios solar wing that climbed to 96,863 feet in 2001.

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Dr. Paul B. MacCready

Aviation Pioneer and Founder of Aerovironment

Dr. Paul B. MacCready, revered pioneer of human powered flight and founder of Aerovironment, launched the core concept of sustainable aviation in his keynote address at the world’s first Electric Aircraft Symposium in 2007. In that speech, Dr. MacCready urged the emerging electric aircraft movement to heed his long held ethic of “doing more with much less” in order to sustainably deal with the scarcities caused by over-population. By pushing the boundaries of efficiency he was able to create aircraft that could do what was previously thought impossible. His philosophy becomes ever more fitting as the cornerstone of sustainability, not just for aviation but for the modern world.

Dr. MacCready often looked to the skies admiring the accomplishments of bird flight, using minimal energy while achieving the convenience of point-to-point travel and unencumbered route planning in the 3D airspace. He relentlessly pursued the sorts of technological innovations and design philosophies that would let humans achieve this same ease in travel. This honorary lecture celebrates the accomplishments of aviation leaders who share the philosophy of transformative innovation in the pursuit of sustainable aviation.

The 2016 Sustainable Aviation Symposium will convene the leading experts and visionaries from across the globe to present the latest breakthroughs in technologies relevant to the electric aviation movement. Topics this year will span everything from Solar and High Altitude Flight to Sky Taxis and Cargo Drones, from Batteries and Ultra capacitors to Fuel Cells. Please check out the outstanding list of speakers planned for this year.

Questions?  Please email us at contact@sustainableaviation.org