ERIC LOOS

President and Chief Engineer

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut

Eric serves as RCT’s president and Chief Engineer. He oversees all engineering activity, and plays a major role in conceptual design as Chief Engineer. Eric is an expert in computer-aided design and finite element analysis, specializing in vibration and fatigue analysis.

During his 16 year tenure at RCT, Eric has worked propulsion programs ranging from 5 – 5,000 HP. He was responsible for the design, analysis, and manufacture of the propeller blades on the Collier Trophy winning Sikorsky X2 Technology Demonstrator. Eric collaborated on the development of all RCT’s in-house design and analysis tools and is responsible for implementing the suite of commercial design and analysis tools used at RCT today. Eric holds Patents for composite blade retention and variable pitch turbofans.

DANNY BALL

Vice President, Strategy and Business Development

B.S., Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University (WSU)

Diploma-Aviation Maintenance Technician A&P, WSU Tech (formerly WATC)

With over 2 decades of industry experience, Danny provides strategic and tactical advice at the corporate level for RCT and shares in technical review, process development and oversight for RCT Engineering. He spent 17 years at McCauley Propeller Systems specializing in short duration, custom product and process development. Danny was responsible for advance design of all new certified and experimental props at McCauley, and oversaw the manufacture, structural testing, and vehicle integration for all special missions and contract propeller systems. He has wide- ranging technical knowledge of product design, manufacture, and FAA/EASA regulatory certification, with many nominations and awards for innovation and technical achievement. He is an expert in propeller design and testing, and has been granted several Patents for composite propellers.

Danny studies propeller accidents as part of investigations led by NTSB, U.S. Military, and foreign safety authorities, and has represented industry defendants at trial. He volunteers as an adjunct instructor teaching props and accident investigation techniques to Federal staff at the DOT Transportation Safety Institute in Oklahoma City, OK. He holds both an FAA Pilot’s license and a FAA Mechanic’s License, so his after-work activities keep him near all sorts of flying machines.

KRISTIN BROSKA

Vice President, Business Operations

M.B.A, Western New England University

Kristin has worked in manufacturing for over 15 years. Having grown up in her family’s machine shop business, she feels most at home in a manufacturing environment. Over the past 9 years, Kristin has worked for Tier One aerospace suppliers, and has a variety of experience in contracts, export compliance, quality management systems, and sales forecasting. Kristin has both a customer and supplier facing role at RCT, and is responsible for proposal drafting, supplier management, and overseeing export compliance.

Kristin’s favorite way to describe the RCT culture is to speak to its values. “We are the definition of a true team. Some people like to say they wear many hats. At RCT I like to say, ‘everyone orders the coffee.’ And we drink a lot of coffee.’” When she isn’t working, Kristin enjoys hitting the hiking trails with her family and dogs.

MATT MORGAN

Engineering Specialist

B.S., Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University (magna cum laude)

Matt has over 20 years of experience in aerospace as an aerodynamics and performance engineer. He has experience designing new propellers and installations, as well as defining technical process and methods development, authoring test plans, fatigue and structural substantiation, and providing technical and regulatory oversight. Said in a different way, Matt is someone you want on your team.

Prior to joining RCT, Matt served in various roles at McCauley Propeller Systems and Cessna Aircraft Company, including Flight Test Engineer on several Citation Certification and sustainment programs. While at McCauley, he served as an FAA-Organization Delegation Authorization (ODA) Unit Member and was granted FAA authority as a 14 CFR 35 propeller UM and a as a 14 CFR 23 and 14 CFR 25 Powerplant UM with delegation for vibration on propeller aircraft. He has developed propeller structural analysis and test methods, and ground and flight test methods including in-flight propeller strain surveys. Matt is a champion of standardized methods of test documentation, in coordination with the FAA and various vehicle OEMs, to streamline the process of propeller installation approval. Matt has worked many certified and experimental propeller development programs through the years. One of his favorites was the aerodynamic and structural design of the highly successful 4-blade propeller used on the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper UAS. Matt was Vice President of the Wichita Chapter of the Society of Flight Test Engineers (SFTE) from 2013-2017 and was co-organizer of the 2016 SFTE National Symposium.

JACOB VIRKLER

Engineering Specialist

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut

Jacob is an engineering specialist with over 17 years of broad ranging composite propeller and rotor design and test experience. At RCT, Jacob holds responsibility for structural design and analysis of all variable pitch composite propeller systems. He leads day-to-day structural analysis of all composite blades and metallic parts, fatigue testing, design, and propeller aerodynamics. His notable completed projects include the successful design and fielding of the pusher propeller for the Collier Trophy winning Sikorsky X2, the S97 RAIDER, and several national security programs. Jacob is a key developer of RCT’s composite blade layup design software tool, BLADE©, a game changing technology allowing rapid iteration of candidate blade structures to a final detailed design using proprietary 3D modeling and analysis techniques. Outside the office, Jacob is an avid hand tool woodworker and cellist.

CURT MILLER

Program Specialist

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Kansas

Curt has over 25 years of experience in the aerospace product engineering and design field, including more than 10 years of propeller design and certification experience. Utilizing his engineering team leadership and project experience, Curt oversees RCT’s strategic planning and program management while providing technical support and oversight. As a Project Engineer at McCauley Propeller Systems, he led the Propeller Engineering team through the development, testing, and certification of the Blackmac Carbon Series Propeller, the company’s first FAA and EASA certified composite propeller. Curt also holds a Six Sigma Greenbelt certificate from Cessna Aircraft/Textron Aviation. When he isn’t developing solutions to engineering challenges in the office, Curt enjoys spending time with his family and traveling.

CHRIS ALIAPOULIOS

Senior Engineer

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut

Chris has been a Senior Engineer at RCT since 2010, and is a liaison between the manufacturing and design teams. A typical day for Chris is anything but typical. Affectionately referred to as “Ice Man,” he oversees RCT’s team of technicians, relying on his first-hand experience in the manufacturing process and his amazingly dry sense of humor. Chris enjoys combining his composite layup manufacturing skills with his engineering background to inform his blade tooling designs. He also manages RCT’s LabView heating and cooling control systems for Resin Transfer Molds (RTM), a critical component of the blade molding process. When Chris is not in the shop, he can be found talking shop with RCT’s suppliers, updating manufacturing schedules, designing parts, and walking past the never-ending supply of donuts in the kitchenette to grab a carrot from the fridge. In his spare time, Chris enjoys hiking and spending time with his wife, son and their two cats.