John Blanton is a native of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and received BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech. He was employed with the General Electric Company for 36 years, including stints at the Global Research Center and at GE Gas Turbine in Schenectady NY, at GE Aviation in Cincinnati OH, and at GE Power in Greenville SC. He currently is the Owner and Chief Engineer of Classic Engineering, LLC, which offers technical education and consulting services in gas turbine technologies. Dr. Blanton has 40+ years design, management, and consulting experience in gas turbine heat transfer and secondary air systems design and analysis. He is recognized as an international expert in the performance analysis of labyrinth seals, and developed the GE analysis code used for this purpose. Dr. Blanton is a lifelong member and passionate supporter of ASME and AIAA, and is a Fellow of both organizations. He has received the ASME Dedicated Service Award, the AIAA Sustained Service Award and the AIAA Distinguished Service Award. Most recently, he was inducted into the Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering Society of Distinguished Alumni. Dr. Blanton has also been very active in engineering education. He has been an Instructor or Adjunct Professor at Virginia Tech, Union College, and the University of Cincinnati.