James Raisbeck flies west

SEATTLE — The founder of Raisbeck Engineering, James Raisbeck, passed away Aug. 31. He was 84.

Raisbeck’s 67-year career was built on using his knowledge of fluid dynamics to create products that reduced drag, enhanced performance, and increased safety margins for numerous business and commercial aircraft.

“James was an iconic figure in the aviation industry, best known for King Air modifications, but his influence reached well beyond that segment of the market,” said Rick Nagel, managing partner of Acorn Growth Companies, which acquired Raisbeck Engineering in 2016.

Raisbeck started his aviation career in 1954 in the U.S. Air Force, maintaining many different military aircraft before winding up as a flight engineer on the B-36.

After the Air Force, he graduated from Purdue University in 1961 with a degree in aeronautical engineering. Shortly after, he landed a job as a research aerodynamicist with The Boeing Airplane Co. where he worked as part of a team that designed a trailing-edge flap system that gave Boeing’s new 707 airliner the ability to fly at speeds as low as 60 knots.

He left Boeing in 1969 to become president and chief engineer at the Robertson Aircraft Corporation, birthplace of the Robertson Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) kits created for multiple general aviation aircraft.

In 1970, Raisbeck began focusing on improving the Learjet wing. After Raisbeck and his team perused results from full-scale testing of a Learjet 23 by NASA Ames in its 40-by-80-foot wind tunnel, they developed the Mark II and Mark IV low-speed performance systems and the Mark III high-speed drag reduction packages. The Mark II and Mark IV Wings became standard technology on all Learjet Century III and Softflite versions throughout the world.

In 1973, Raisbeck left Robertson and launched his own company. In 1976, Rockwell International asked James to redesign its Saberliner series. As a result, the model 65 was equipped and manufactured with Raisbeck-designed Supercritical Wings, which were also retrofitted to Saberliner models 60 and 80.

In 1981, Raisbeck turned his focus to the Beechcraft King Air family. Often described as a man who could see air flow, Raisbeck saw possibilities for improving the King Air’s productivity, performance, safety, and overall customer usefulness. Raisbeck’s engineering team began design work on what was later to be certified as the Mark VI system for the King Air 200 series, which included several systems that are still in use today: the Ram Air Recovery System, Dual Aft Body Strakes, and High Float Gear Doors.

Over the years, Raisbeck has developed multiple modifications for the King Air and today more than 64% of the more than 6,200 King Airs in operation today have at least one Raisbeck modification. Several also have been drawn into the King Air production line, including Dual Aft Body Strakes and Nacelle Wing Lockers on the King Air 350, Ram Air Recovery System on the King Air 250, and propellers on the King Air C90.

Other products developed under Raisbeck’s leadership includes Learjet Aft Fuselage Lockers, Stage 3 Noise Reduction Kits for the 727, Airbus A320 Overhead Bin Enlargement Kits, and ZR Lite Performance Systems for the Learjet 31, 35, and 36 that improved performance while reducing fuel consumption by a stunning 10%.

His contributions to the industry have been recognized by a who’s who of aviation organizations. In 1979 he was honored by Purdue University, receiving its Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award, and again in 1999 with Purdue’s Outstanding Aerospace Engineer Award. That same year he was awarded the AIAA Commercial Aviation Technical Achievement Award. In 2002 the National Business Aviation Association awarded him its Lifetime Achievement Award for Meritorious Service to Aviation. In 2008 he received the Living Legends Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award. More recently, Raisbeck was placed on the National Air and Space Museum’s Wall of Honor, a permanent memorial at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, recognizing those with a passion for flight.

But company officials say Raisbeck’s true legacy is in his philanthropy and enthusiasm for his community, particularly education and the arts. James and his wife Sherry, through their foundation, have given significant grants over the years in support of education, the arts, the Museum of Flight, medical research, and the Raisbeck Aviation High School. The high school, which he helped establish in 2013 through the Raisbeck Foundation, was particularly close to his heart.

“His compassion, enthusiasm and support of the students, faculty and family members at the Raisbeck High School not only touched many lives, but brought him just as much joy,” company officials noted.

He and Sherry have two daughters, a son, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.