Edmund W. Pendleton

Edmund W Pendleton (born 1956) is an American research and development engineer, commercial pilot, and flight instructor best known for his work on the X-53 flight research program. He joined the United States Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio in 1980. While employed there, he worked in the aeroelasticity group and conducted wind tunnel research leading up to the Grumman X-29, the X-30 National Aerospace Plane, and the X-53 aircraft programs. He was one of the original developers of the active aeroelastic wing concept, a novel engineering design approach that utilized wing aeroelastic twist to control aircraft at high speeds. He served as a program manager and chief engineer of the X-53 Active Aeroelastic Wing flight research program from 1992 through 2005. The Active Aeroelastic Wing project received a NASA "Turning Goals into Reality Award" in 2004.
Mr Pendleton was also active in quantifying the effects of aerodynamics on the twin tails of fighter aircraft
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Ed Pendleton attended grade school in Wayne Township, Ohio. After transferring, he graduated from Beavercreek High School, Xenia Ohio, where he played on the school's basketball and baseball teams from 1972-1975 After service in the U.S. army, Ed Pendleton earned his bachelor's degree in systems engineering from Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio in 1979 and a commercial pilot's licence in 1981.
He earned a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Dayton in Ohio and his flight instructor’s certification in 1984. From 1984 through 2012, Ed taught flying at the Wright Patterson AFB Aero Club where he taught many students who became private pilots, some of whom went on to fly professionally for the airlines and the Air Force. In 1998, Ed graduated from the Defense Systems Management College’s Advanced Program Manager’s Course. In 2003, Ed earned a master's degree in national security strategy from the National Defense University located in Washington DC.
In 2005, he became involved in efforts to provide technology for an initiative entitled "Operationally Responsive Space". From 2006 through 2011, he has served as a project manager/engineer for an air/spaceframe development effort involving the integration of a low mass fraction, load bearing, cryogenic, composite, linerless fuel and oxidizer tank with lifting surfaces, thermal protection, and condition based maintenance under a Future Responsive Access to Space Technology initiative. This initiative will pave the way for increased the structural efficiency of future Space Launch Vehicles.
In 2013, Ed became involved with a Defense Advanced Research Agency (DARPA) program / team to develop an experimental reusable space plane / booster called XS-1. Ed served as the contracting officer's technical representative. The XS-1 program completed its first phase where candidate flight concepts and associated technology developments were matured. Phase II of the program will complete the design, fabrication, and assembly of the XS-1 small launch booster.
Ed served for ten years on a NATO technical panel for aerospace structures and materials where he coauthored several papers.
Ed Pendleton has been a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio since 1984.

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