Background
Charles Huron Kaman was born in 1919 to Charles William Kaman and Mabel Davis Kaman in Washington, District of Columbia, the son of a construction supervisor.
Charles Huron Kaman was born in 1919 to Charles William Kaman and Mabel Davis Kaman in Washington, District of Columbia, the son of a construction supervisor.
He later attended Catholic University of America, gaining an engineering degree magna cum laude in 1940.
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. In January 1947, the Kaman K-125 helicopter first flew.
lieutenant utilized intermeshing rotors and Kaman"s patented servo-flap rotor control.
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. 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, featuring a rounded back design. Kaman also founded Kaman Industrial Technologies, one of the largest industrial distributors in North America.
Kaman"s first wife was the former Helen Sylvander.
Death Kaman died in Bloomfield, Connecticut, on January 31, 2011, at the age of 91. He had suffered from Alzheimer"s disease in his last years.
Kaman was awarded honorary degrees by the University of Connecticut, the University of Hartford, and the University of Colorado. His other honors included: National Inventors Hall of Fame (2003) Honorary Fellow of the American Helicopter Society (1950) Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy (1997) National Medal of Technology (1996) Naval Aviation Hall of Honor at the National Museum of Naval Aviation (1996) Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal (1995) Honorary Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (1995).
