Announcements

It's No Secret, How the Skunks Work

An AIAA Professional Development Lecture, via Zoom

presented by

Paul Bevilaqua

Chief Engineer of the Skunk Works

Wednesday, June 18th, 12:00-1:00 PM PDT

The Skunk Works developed some of the most advanced and innovative aircraft to fly, including America’s first jet aircraft, the first Mach 2 aircraft, the first Mach 3 aircraft, and the first stealth fighter aircraft. The Skunk Works approach enables teams to complete such aircraft in a remarkably short time and within budget.  This is achieved by allowing small development teams to make program decisions without requiring consultation or approval from personnel not working on the program.  It is as much a management philosophy as it is a physical place.  This presentation will describe the rules by which the Skunk Works operates, especially the Golden Rule that a good airplane tested now is better than an optimized airplane tested next year.     

Paul Bevilaqua has spent much of his career developing Vertical Take Off and Landing aircraft. He joined Lockheed Martin as Chief Aeronautical Scientist and became Chief Engineer of the Skunk Works, where he played a leading role in creating the Joint Strike Fighter. He invented the dual cycle propulsion system that made it possible to build a stealthy supersonic VSTOL Strike Fighter, and suggested that conventional and naval variants of this aircraft could be developed to create a common, affordable aircraft for all three services. He subsequently led the engineering team that demonstrated the feasibility of building this aircraft. 

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, Dr. Bevilaqua was Manager of Advanced Programs at Rockwell International’s Navy aircraft plant, where he led the design of VSTOL interceptor and transport aircraft. He began his career as an Air Force officer at Wright-Patterson AFB, where he developed a lift system for an Air Force VSTOL Search and Rescue Aircraft. He received degrees in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and Purdue University. 

He is an AIAA Fellow of and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He is also the recipient of a USAF Scientific Achievement Award, AIAA and SAE Aircraft Design Awards, AIAA and AHS VSTOL Awards, and Lockheed Martin AeroStar and Nova Awards.  

The presentation will be on Wednesday, June 18th, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM PDT via Zoom. The Zoom link for the meeting is below. Once you connect to it, please follow the subsequent link for "Attendee".