Meet the faculty and research assistants that make up the General Aviation Flight Lab. Our research assistants explore diverse areas of aerospace and aviation research, and comprise students pursing Master's and Doctoral degrees with specializations typically in aerospace control systems. Additionally, our undergraduate student assistants benefit from hands-on learning experiences assisting with graduate student research.
Faculty
![James Steck](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/JamesSteck.png)
Dr James E. Steck
Professor of Aerospace Engineering
AIAA Associate Fellow
Office : Wallace Hall 218N
Tel : (316) 978-6396
Email : james.steck@wichita.edu
![Kamran Rokhsaz](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/KamranRokhsaz.png)
Dr Kamran Rokhsaz
Professor of Aerospace Engineering
Office : Wallace Hall 202
Tel : (316) 978-3410
Email : kamran.rokhsaz@wichita.edu
Post-Doctoral Researchers
![Melvin Rafi](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/MelvinRafi.png)
Melvin Rafi
Adaptive flight control, predictive loss-of-control mitigation for civil and general aviation, Augmented-Reality pilot displays for aviation applications, flight simulation systems
PhD Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2020
Aircraft Loss-of-Control: Real-time Adaptive Prediction of Safe Control Margins and
Pilot Advisory Displays
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2013
Response and Recovery of an MRAC Adaptive Flight Control System to Adverse Atmospheric
Encounters
Graduate Research Assistants
![Balaji Chandrasekaran](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/BalajiChandrasekaran.png)
Balaji Chandrasekaran
Doctoral Student
Adaptive control system design for flapping wing aerial vehicles
![Yrithu T. Pillay](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/YrithuTPillay.png)
Yrithu T. Pillay
Doctoral Student
Aircraft and UAV technical design, control and simulation, General Aviation flight dynamics
![Justin Schmitz](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/JustinSchmitz.png)
Justin Schmitz
Master's Student
Simulated flight testing of aircraft loss-of-control prediction methods
![Christopher Andress](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/ChristopherAndress.png)
Christopher Andress
Master's Student
Control system design, system indentification, and machine learning
Undergraduate Student Assistants
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Robert Ross
Aerospace Engineering Class of 2022
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Kaitlyn Daise
Aerospace Engineering Class of 2022
Alumni
Doctor of Philosophy
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Georg Schirmer
PhD Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2019
Design, Implementation and Experimental Testing of an Inertial Sensor System to Quantify
Wing Deflection
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2013
Software and System Development of a Smartphone-based Flight-Tracking Device to Enhance
Flight Instruction
![Scott Reed](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/ScottReed.png)
Scott Reed
PhD Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2017
Adaptive Control For Fault Tolerant Autonomous Launch and Recovery
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2010
Demonstration of the Optimal Control Modification for General Aviation: Design and
Simulation
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Wilfred Nobleheart
PhD Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2015
Control system design for morphing aircraft
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Johann Dorfling
PhD Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2014
Feasibility of Morphing Aircraft Propeller Blades
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2008
Flight Environment of the Propellers on Commuter Aircraft
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Zachary Kral
PhD Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2013
Development of a Decentralized Artificial Intelligence System for Damage Detection
in Composite Laminates for Aerospace Structures
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2009
Development of an Artificial Neural Network Damage Detection Module for a Structural
Health Monitoring System
![Geethalakshmi Lakshmikanth](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/GeethaLakshmikanth.png)
Geethalakshmi Lakshmikanth
PhD Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2012
Single Network Adaptive Critic Aided Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Urpo J Pesonen
PhD Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2001
Artificial Neural Network Prediction of Aircraft Aeroelastic Behavior
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 1999
A 3-D Viscous/Inviscid Interaction Code for Wing/Wing-Body Flowfield Calculations
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Shyh-Pyng Shue
PhD Electrical Engineering, Wichita State University, 2000
Control of Semiconductor Manufacturing Systems
PhD Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 1997
Optimal and H-infinity Suboptimal Feedback Control of Dynamical Nonlinear Systems
for Control of Wing Rock Motion
Master of Science
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Thomas Thibodeaux
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2019
Data-driven System Identification of Nonlinear Dynamics for a 6-DOF Aircraft Model
Using SINDYc
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Kiran Rajaram
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2018
Loss of Control Prediction System for the Longitudinal and Lateral Dynamics of an
Aircraft Using Laplace Methods
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Peng Wang
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2016
Design, Modeling and Control of Trailing Edge Morphing UAV
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Venkatasubramani Subba Reddiar Pappu
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2014
Modified State Observer Based Adaptive Control Law for General Aviation and Micro
Aerial Vehicles
![Parth Kumar](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/ParthKumar.png)
Parth Kumar
MSc Industrial Engineering, Wichita State University, 2014
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Phillip Meikel
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2013
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Mark Worth
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2012
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
John Taylor Oxford, Jr
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2012![Kimberly Hinson](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/KimberHinson.png)
Kimberly Hinson
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2011
Application of a Six Degrees of Freedom Adaptive Controller to a General Aviation
Aircraft
![Brian Hinson](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/BrianHinson.png)
Brian Hinson
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2010
Adaptive Control of Elastic Aircraft
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Michael Arruda
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2009
Dynamic Inverse Resiliant Control for Damaged Asymmetric Aircraft: Modeling and Simulation
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Rajeev Chandramohan
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2007
Adaptive Critic Flight Control for a General Aviation Aircraft: Simulations for the
Beech Bonanza Fly-By-Wire Testbed
![Photo Placeholder](/academics/engineering/aerospace/research/gafl-lab/images/people/placeholder_people.png)
Balbahadur Singh
MSc Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, 2005
Online Aerodynamic Parameter Estimation for a Fault Tolerant Flight Control System