As we go through our precious time here on this planet (many times running in afterburner), how often is it that we are fortunate enough to find people that influence our lives in positive ways we couldn’t imagine? Frank Gillette, who passed away on October 29th of this year, was one of these people for all of us contributing to this article. Frank’s professional achievements as a rocket and gas turbine engineer and leader for well over 50 years are only surpassed by his absolute love of life, unshakeable integrity, and commitment to give back to the profession he so significantly shaped and served. We love the photo, taken at Keith’s retirement ceremony from the Air Force in Dayton, OH on November 18, 2011, as it captures Frank’s exuberance for life, as well as the love of his devoted wife Jane.
The “father” of the Pratt & Whitney F119 advanced turbofan engine, two of which power the F-22 Raptor, Frank’s passion for service and continuing education repeatedly brought him to Colorado Springs. We all met Frank because of our assignments as faculty members in the Department of Aeronautics at the USAF Academy in the Springs. Starting around 2000 and lasting for two decades, Frank was a volunteer mentor and advisor to cadets and faculty in the engine capstone design class. He loved sitting down with cadets and asking them about their engine component designs; other times he’d offer constructive criticism on everything from their mission analysis and cycle design choices to their presentation “soft skills” that cadets would take to heart. One of Aaron’s favorite Frank stories: “The cadets loved him because he did not sugarcoat things. For example, one aggressive learner wanted to know which team had the best engine design. Frank thought for a moment and said ‘well to be honest, both engines were crap, but that’s not the point. The point is what you learned during the design process, what trade-offs you considered, and then what would you go back and take another look at if you had more time.’”
Frank was the driving force behind P&W-sponsored funding that began around 2005 and continues today allowing cadets to travel to E. Hartford to brief their capstone designs and interact with key engineers and managers in the industry. His legacy lives on with the 2015 establishment of a fully funded, ‘Frank Gillette Propulsion Researcher’ position at the Academy that continues to bring the latest contemporary engine design and performance topics and capabilities to DFAN’s cadets and faculty. He was very proud of his relationship with the AF Academy, and hundreds of Academy grads are better USAF officers and propulsion engineers because of him.
In one of the articles found via the links below, Frank is quoted, “You’re actually working with things that are gonna go do something.” That’s classic Frank-ism language indicative of his passion and approach to engineering and life in general! Look at the pics of his model railroad set up in his barn at home in West Palm Beach, Fl…Frank loved trains and model railroading.
Frank’s first visits to the Academy included bringing along a P&W-sponsored 18-wheeler truck as a mobile learning lab of the F119 engine. Brenda was responsible for the logistics associated with the truck and support staff arrival, bed-down, and availability to the entire Academy for several days. She fondly recalls Frank’s insistence on making the engine “maintenance-friendly” while designing the most advanced afterburning mixed-flow thrust-vectoring stealthy turbofan in the world at the time. He insisted that, “…anything that can have a handle will have one, no lockwire, no special tools/equipment needed to work on the installed engine.” This was yet another Frank-ism – empathy put into action in his approach to life; thinking of others like the line maintenance personnel in the midst of meeting incredibly challenging cycle performance requirements.
Frank Gillette was a mentor, role model, colleague and most importantly, friend to the seven of us, hundreds of other AF officers/pilots, and countless others. Devin fondly remembers having to move into a new house over a weekend when it just so happened that Frank was in the Springs on one of his mentoring visits. When Frank found out a bunch of us were going over to help, he selflessly gave up his weekend to pitch in, usually carrying the heavier loads! Kurt shared: “I feel personally and deeply indebted to Frank for his mentorship and insights. In that sense, his impact has certainly reached OK State University, where his legacy endures through our propulsion program here.” We love and will miss you Frank; your positive influence will continue to be manifested for many years to come in many different ways.
Please reference the following links to learn more about Frank Gillette.
Contributions by Keith Boyer, Aaron Byerley, Brenda Haven, Scotty Nowlin, Devin O’Dowd, Kurt Rouser, Ken Van Treuren (all PAI instructors).