(June 15, 1919 – January 31, 2011)
Biography
Charles Huron Kaman was born in 1919 to Charles William Kaman and Mabel Davis Kaman in Washington, D.C., the son of a construction supervisor. He later attended Catholic University of America, graduating magna cum laude in 1940.[2]Helicopters
Kaman's first aircraft experience was working for Igor Sikorsky. In 1945, he started his own aircraft company, Kaman Aircraft, to pursue his own designs.[2] In January 1947, the Kaman K-125 helicopter first flew. It utilized intermeshing rotors and Kaman's patented servo-flap stability control.[2] In 1951, the Kaman K-225 also used intermeshing rotors with servo-flap control and was the world's first helicopter to be powered by a gas turbine.[2]Business
Kaman was an aficionado of the guitar, and in 1966, he founded Ovation Instruments. The company would become the Ovation Guitar Company and developed an acoustic guitar using aerospace composite materials,[3] featuring a rounded back design.[4] He and his second wife, Roberta, created the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation and developed a breed of German Shepherd to act as guide dogs.[2]Marriage and children
Kaman's first wife was the former Helen Sylvander. They married in 1945 and divorced in 1971. Later in 1971 he remarried, to Roberta Hallock, who died in 2010.[5][6] He had three children: C. William Kaman, II; Steven W. Kaman and Mrs. Cathleen Wood.Death
Kaman died in Bloomfield, Connecticut, aged 91, on January 31, 2011.[1]Awards
Kaman was awarded honorary degrees by the University of Connecticut, the University of Hartford, and the University of Colorado.[2] His other honors included:- National Inventors Hall of Fame (2003)[2]
- Honorary Fellow of the American Helicopter Society (1950)[7]
- Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy (1997)[8]
- National Medal of Technology (1996)[9]
- Naval Aviation Hall of Honor at the National Museum of Naval Aviation (1996)[10]
- Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal (1995)[11]
- Honorary Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (1995)[7]
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