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Frank Nicolas Piasecki

Frank Nicolas Piasecki was born on 29 October, 1919, in Philadelphia as son of Polish immigrants. After an autogyro ride his intense interest was transformed into a burning desire: rotary-wing development! He attended the University of Pennsylvania and was graduated from the Guggenheim School of Aeronautics in New York as an aeronautical engineer. In between he jobbed as a pipe cutter for Kellett and as an aerial photographer. Still as a student, he founded the PV Engineering Forum together with some fellow student. This was the place where the PV-2 and PV-3 were designed and built. The Piasecki Helicopter Company (PHC) was the first manufacturer to produce a tandem helicopter in serial production. It quickly grew to a large firm. After the Rockefeller family succeeded in obtaining the majority of shares of the PHC, Piasecki left the company (which later became the Vertol Aircraft Co that was acquired by Boeing in 1959) and founded the much smaller Piasecki Aircraft Company in 1955. Their activity is focussed on research projects by the Pentagon and has produced a number of interesting VTOL research prototypes. Frank has seven children, three of them are working in their family company, while a son and a daughter are working as engineers for MDHS and Boeing Helicopter.