Frederick S. Billig
Encyclopedia
Frederick Stucky Billig was a pioneer in the development of scramjet
propulsion.
Billig’s primary research was in the area of high-speed, air-breathing propulsion for advanced flight vehicles including pioneering work in external burning and supersonic combustion. He was responsible for highspeed propulsion programs sponsored by the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force and NASA
.
. He grew up in the Maryland
suburbs of Washington, D.C.
As a boy, Billig was an avid sports fan and participated in many contests on basketball statistics.
, graduating in 1955 with a Bachelor of Engineering
degree in Mechanical Engineering
.
Following graduation, Billig began his career in the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in 1955. He entered the University of Maryland
’s Department of Mechanical Engineering as a part-time student earning his M.S. degree in 1958 and Ph.D. in 1964.
While working at Applied Physics Laboratory, Billig spent 25 years as an Adjunct Professor in Maryland’s Aerospace Engineering Department from 1964-1989. He also taught at Virginia Tech, where he served on Ph.D. committees up until the time of his death.
propulsion and vehicles. He was mentored by Dr. William Avery
and Dr. Gordon Drucker.
In 1963, Billig was promoted to the position of senior engineer and supervisor of hypersonic ramjets.
In the 1970s, Billig accepted an assignment in the Submarine Security Program at the Applied Physics Laboratory.
Billig later returned to the Aeronautics Department, where he was appointed chief scientist in 1987.
Billig's patent was for a supersonic scramjet-powered missile, designed for the Navy. The patented design was capable of flight at five to 10 times the speed of sound.
Billig and Dugger made and ground-tested a proposed engine and later modifications.
The scramjet described in the 1981 patent offered reliable low-cost production, a movable internal body as a combustion chamber, a fuel tank, and a computer-controlled turbine for internal power.
Billig was awarded six additional patents involving design features of hypersonic vehicles.
(SSTO) spacecraft.
President Ronald Reagan
described NASP in his 1986 State of the Union
address as "...a new Orient Express that could, by the end of the next decade, take off from Dulles Airport and accelerate up to twenty-five times the speed of sound, attaining low earth orbit or flying to Tokyo within two hours..."
There were six identifiable technologies which were considered critical to the success of the NASP project. Three of these "enabling" technologies were related to the propulsion system, which would consist of a hydrogen-fueled scramjet. As project lead at JHU, Billig performed leading edge research in support of the NASP propulsion development.
The NASP program became the Hypersonic Systems Technology Program (HySTP) in late 1994. HySTP was designed to transfer the accomplishments made in hypersonic technologies by the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) program into a technology development program. On January 27, 1995 the Air Force terminated participation in (HySTP).
, Billig's home. In 2005, the company had four employees, including an office in Dayton, Ohio
.
Pyrodyne was awarded a contract by Aerojet
for engine design work on the Falcon project. Falcon was a $124 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA) project led by Lockheed Martin
. Sacramento, Calif.-based Aerojet was awarded a $15 million subcontract to the project and passed along much of the engine research work to Pyrodyne. Pyrodyne designed the flow line of the engines, the geometrical shape of the engine's air inlet, combustors, fuel nozzles and injectors. Pyrodyne also built a model of the engine for testing.
As a consultant, Billig supported the Air Force HyTech technology program. The Air Force Research Laboratory
(AFRL) initiated the Hypersonic Technology (HyTech) program in 1995 to maintain an aggressive technology development program in hypersonics after the National Aero-Space Plane’s development was terminated. In 1996, Pratt & Whitney
was awarded a $48-million contract for demonstration of a hydrocarbon fueled scramjet engine. The near term application of this technology is a long range hypersonic cruise missile to defeat time-sensitive targets. In the far term, the scramjet technology enables a Mach 8-10 strike/reconnaissance aircraft and affordable, on-demand access to space with aircraft like operations. The HyTech scramjet will power the X-51
hypersonic test vehicle.
In 2006, Billig's business partner, Lance Jacobsen, formed a new company, GoHypersonic, in Dayton, Ohio, to continue the hypersonic research conducted by Pyrodyne. GoHypersonic inherited Billig's technical library.
(AIAA), also received AIAA’s Dryden Research Lectureship for his lifetime of research. In 1992, he was awarded the M.M. Bondaruck Award “as a pioneer of scramjet research” by the Soviet Academy of Sciences and USSR Aviation Sport Federation. He received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award from the Department of the Air Force in 1992.
Billig was a founding member of the International Society on Air Breathing Engines (ISABE).
In 1995, Billig was elected to the National Academy of Engineering "for analytical and experimental contributions to supersonic/hypersonic combustion and ramjet engine technologies."
Scramjet
A scramjet is a variant of a ramjet airbreathing jet engine in which combustion takes place in supersonic airflow...
propulsion.
Billig’s primary research was in the area of high-speed, air-breathing propulsion for advanced flight vehicles including pioneering work in external burning and supersonic combustion. He was responsible for highspeed propulsion programs sponsored by the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force and NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
.
Early life
He was born on February 28, 1933, in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. He grew up in the Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
suburbs of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
As a boy, Billig was an avid sports fan and participated in many contests on basketball statistics.
Education
Billig received his undergraduate education at Johns Hopkins UniversityJohns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, graduating in 1955 with a Bachelor of Engineering
Bachelor of Engineering
The Bachelor of Engineering is an undergraduate academic degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at universities in Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland , Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Korea,...
degree in Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
.
Following graduation, Billig began his career in the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in 1955. He entered the University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
’s Department of Mechanical Engineering as a part-time student earning his M.S. degree in 1958 and Ph.D. in 1964.
While working at Applied Physics Laboratory, Billig spent 25 years as an Adjunct Professor in Maryland’s Aerospace Engineering Department from 1964-1989. He also taught at Virginia Tech, where he served on Ph.D. committees up until the time of his death.
Applied Physics Laboratory
In his early career in the JHU Applied Physics Lab, Billig worked on hypersonicHypersonic
In aerodynamics, a hypersonic speed is one that is highly supersonic. Since the 1970s, the term has generally been assumed to refer to speeds of Mach 5 and above...
propulsion and vehicles. He was mentored by Dr. William Avery
William H. Avery (engineer)
William Hinckley Avery was an influential aeronautical engineer. He designed the propulsion mechanism known as the ramjet, and for heading the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion program which generates electricity from the temperature differential between shallow and deep ocean water.-Early...
and Dr. Gordon Drucker.
In 1963, Billig was promoted to the position of senior engineer and supervisor of hypersonic ramjets.
In the 1970s, Billig accepted an assignment in the Submarine Security Program at the Applied Physics Laboratory.
Billig later returned to the Aeronautics Department, where he was appointed chief scientist in 1987.
Scramjet Patent
In 1964, Billig and Dr. Gordon L. Dugger submitted a patent application for a supersonic combustion ramjet based on Billig’s Ph.D. thesis. This patent was issued in 1981 following the removal of an order of secrecy.Billig's patent was for a supersonic scramjet-powered missile, designed for the Navy. The patented design was capable of flight at five to 10 times the speed of sound.
Billig and Dugger made and ground-tested a proposed engine and later modifications.
The scramjet described in the 1981 patent offered reliable low-cost production, a movable internal body as a combustion chamber, a fuel tank, and a computer-controlled turbine for internal power.
Billig was awarded six additional patents involving design features of hypersonic vehicles.
National Aerospace Plane
Billig was Program Manager of the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) Project at the Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL). The X-30 NASP was an attempt by the United States to create a viable single-stage-to-orbitSingle-stage-to-orbit
A single-stage-to-orbit vehicle reaches orbit from the surface of a body without jettisoning hardware, expending only propellants and fluids. The term usually, but not exclusively, refers to reusable vehicles....
(SSTO) spacecraft.
President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
described NASP in his 1986 State of the Union
State Of The Union
"State Of The Union" is the debut single from British singer-songwriter David Ford. It had previously been featured as a demo on his official website, before appearing as a track on a CD entitled "Apology Demos EP," only on sale at live shows....
address as "...a new Orient Express that could, by the end of the next decade, take off from Dulles Airport and accelerate up to twenty-five times the speed of sound, attaining low earth orbit or flying to Tokyo within two hours..."
There were six identifiable technologies which were considered critical to the success of the NASP project. Three of these "enabling" technologies were related to the propulsion system, which would consist of a hydrogen-fueled scramjet. As project lead at JHU, Billig performed leading edge research in support of the NASP propulsion development.
The NASP program became the Hypersonic Systems Technology Program (HySTP) in late 1994. HySTP was designed to transfer the accomplishments made in hypersonic technologies by the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) program into a technology development program. On January 27, 1995 the Air Force terminated participation in (HySTP).
Pyrodyne, Inc.
Billig retired as Associate Head and Chief Scientist of the Aeronautics Department at the JHU/APL in 1996 and became President of Pyrodyne, Inc. Pyrodyne was a research company established by Billig, Lance S. Jacobsen, then a student at Virginia Tech, and Linda A. Baumler, Billig's daughter. Pyrodyne was based in Glenwood, MarylandGlenwood, Howard County, Maryland
Glenwood is an unincorporated community in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It is conveniently located between Baltimore and Washington D.C., therefore attracting commuters to those employment centers...
, Billig's home. In 2005, the company had four employees, including an office in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
.
Pyrodyne was awarded a contract by Aerojet
Aerojet
Aerojet is an American rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer based primarily in Rancho Cordova, California with divisions in Redmond, Washington, Orange, Gainesville and Camden, Arkansas. Aerojet is owned by GenCorp. They are the only US propulsion company that provides both solid rocket...
for engine design work on the Falcon project. Falcon was a $124 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technology for use by the military...
(DARPA) project led by Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
. Sacramento, Calif.-based Aerojet was awarded a $15 million subcontract to the project and passed along much of the engine research work to Pyrodyne. Pyrodyne designed the flow line of the engines, the geometrical shape of the engine's air inlet, combustors, fuel nozzles and injectors. Pyrodyne also built a model of the engine for testing.
As a consultant, Billig supported the Air Force HyTech technology program. The Air Force Research Laboratory
Air Force Research Laboratory
The Air Force Research Laboratory is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable aerospace warfighting technologies; planning and executing the Air Force science and...
(AFRL) initiated the Hypersonic Technology (HyTech) program in 1995 to maintain an aggressive technology development program in hypersonics after the National Aero-Space Plane’s development was terminated. In 1996, Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
was awarded a $48-million contract for demonstration of a hydrocarbon fueled scramjet engine. The near term application of this technology is a long range hypersonic cruise missile to defeat time-sensitive targets. In the far term, the scramjet technology enables a Mach 8-10 strike/reconnaissance aircraft and affordable, on-demand access to space with aircraft like operations. The HyTech scramjet will power the X-51
X-51
X51 or X-51 may refer to:* Boeing X-51, a scramjet-waverider from the Air Force Research Laboratory* X-51 , a fictional organization in the video game Deus Ex* X-51...
hypersonic test vehicle.
In 2006, Billig's business partner, Lance Jacobsen, formed a new company, GoHypersonic, in Dayton, Ohio, to continue the hypersonic research conducted by Pyrodyne. GoHypersonic inherited Billig's technical library.
Death
Billig died on June 2, 2006. He was preceded in death by Peggy Billig, his wife of 50 years. He was survived by his four children: Linda Baumler and husband Robert, Donna Bartley and husband Dave, Fred Billig and wife Trish, and Jimmy Billig and wife Stephanie. He was also survived by ten grandchildren and two brothers.Honors
During his lifetime, Billig was honored with numerous awards. These included the Maryland Academy of Science’s Distinguished Young Scientist Award (1966), the Combustion Institute’s Silver Medal (1968), the NASP Pioneer Award (1989), and the JHU/APL lifetime achievement award (1991). In 1991 Billig, a Fellow, past Vice President, and Director of American Institute of Aeronautics and AstronauticsAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of two earlier societies: the American Rocket Society , founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society , and the Institute...
(AIAA), also received AIAA’s Dryden Research Lectureship for his lifetime of research. In 1992, he was awarded the M.M. Bondaruck Award “as a pioneer of scramjet research” by the Soviet Academy of Sciences and USSR Aviation Sport Federation. He received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award from the Department of the Air Force in 1992.
Billig was a founding member of the International Society on Air Breathing Engines (ISABE).
In 1995, Billig was elected to the National Academy of Engineering "for analytical and experimental contributions to supersonic/hypersonic combustion and ramjet engine technologies."