Wayne Durham
- Associate Professor Emeritus
- Ph.D., 1989, Aerospace Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- M.S., 1984, Aeronautical Engineering, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School
- 1972, Empire Test Pilot School
- 1965-1987, Flight Training, Aircraft Maintenance and Advanced Fighter Tactics, Various Navy Schools
- B.S., 1965, Mathematics, U.S. Naval Academy
Dynamics and Control
2004-Present, Emeritus Professor; 1989-2004, Assistant/Associate Professor, Virginia Tech; 1987-1989, Graduate Student, Virginia Tech; 1984-1987, Long-Range Plans, U.S. Naval Space Command; 1981-1984, Naval Postgraduate School; 1978-1981, Operations Officer, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School; 1975-1978, Department Head, Operations and Safety, Fighter Squadron Eleven, U.S. Navy; 1973-1975, Flight Test/Carrier Suitability, Naval Air Test Center; 1972-1972, Empire Test Pilot School, Boscombe Down, U.K.; 1971-1972, Flight Instructor, Navy Advanced Training Command; 1966-1971, Viet Nam, Fighter Squadron One-Hundred Ninety-Four, U.S. Navy; 1965-1966, Destroyer Officer, U.S. Navy
Undergraduate Honor Committee, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Technical Committee, 1997 Chair of Flight Mechanics Technical Conference, Reviewer of AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, AIAA
Atmospheric Flight Dynamics and Control
Control methods for airplanes and other dynamic systems are usually based on assumptions requiring linear, well-behaved relationships in the mathematical description of the system. Frequently, however, it is in a region of nonlinear behavior that some form of automatic control is most needed. As an example, airplanes maneuvering at angles of attack near maximum lift often display unwanted characteristics such as nose slice and spin tendencies. Aside from the desire to eliminate these characteristics, there is a growing interest in extending the useful maneuvering capabilities of the airplane into these high angles of attack and beyond. Current research interests are aimed at finding control laws that remove the undesirable characteristics in these nonlinear flight regimes. This research is then be extended toward determining the control required to fully exploit the capabilities of an airplane to maneuver throughout its full envelope.