Position:  Chief Scientist, STAR, Inc.

Education:  Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, 1958
Master of Science, Aerodynamics, The Ohio State University, 1959
Ph. D., Fluid Mechanics, The Ohio State University, 1967

Professional Experience:

Dr. Gregorek has taught undergraduate and graduate level courses in applied aerodynamics and experimental techniques.  His teaching innovations include an introductory sophomore course series that integrates a hands-on laboratory coupled to three lecture periods each week to provide in-coming aerospace engineering with a realistic view of the discipline.  His air vehicle design course was one of the first to replicate industry preliminary design teams by forming students into design teams led by a student group leader, and focused upon satisfying the specifications of a particular aircraft.  Dr. Gregorek’s design team won the US Air Force $3000 Prize in the AGATE Competition for use of Air Force Technology in their design of a Supersonic Business Jet.  Working with OSU’s Aviation Department, Dr Gregorek developed a flight research course for senior and graduate students that employs a university aircraft and basic instrumentation to evaluate the performance, stability and control of a typical general aviation aircraft.  In this course, the students fly in the aircraft, plan the experiments to measure the flight characteristics, and compare their data with their analytic predictions and the Pilot’s Handbook.

Dr. Gregorek’s aerodynamics research has spanned the flight regime from hypersonic to low speed.  His early work in hypersonics included assisting in the design and initial operation of the Air Force Aeronautical Research Laboratory’s Twenty-Inch Hypersonic Wind Tunnel.  In the OSU Aeronautical and Astronautical Research Lab he has conducted experiments and developed specialized instrumentation for measurements of forces, heat transfer, low density and unsteady pressures.  When Dr. Gregorek put his wind tunnel instrumentation on board a single engine general aviation aircraft, and coupled this instrumentation to a small computer, he was able to measure in-flight and on-line the wing pressure distribution, airfoil lift, drag, and pitching movement.  His flight research with general aviation aircraft include evaluation of new wing airfoil designs, aero-acoustic propellers, post-stall departures, and the determination of the overall aircraft drag and the detailed wing characteristics of the Bellanca Skyrocket II, a prototype all composite aircraft of high aerodynamic efficiency [a zero lift drag coefficient of 0.0155 was measured in flight in contrast to the 0.0175 drag coefficient of the World War II North American Mustang].  Dr. Gregorek directed the General Aviation Airfoil Design and Analysis Center established by NASA at The Ohio State University.  In this role, he has worked with all the major general aviation aircraft, propeller and helicopter manufacturers, providing design, analysis and wind tunnel tests of advance airfoils and high-lift systems.  He has studied the degradation of performance of airfoils and aircraft due to icing.  Dr. Gregorek has designed airfoils tailored for the specialized environments of wind turbines, and has most recently been involved with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in an extensive experimental study of wind turbine airfoils.  This study is documenting the steady and unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of candidate wind turbine airfoils and the effects of contamination by insects and ice on the airfoil performance.

Dr. Gregorek has a publication record of more than 100 technical papers, reports and proceedings; he has advised 80 graduate students during his career.  He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and was recognized by the AIAA with the General Aviation Research Award in 1983.  In 1991 he was honored by the International Astronautical Federation with the Malina Medal for his contribution to Aerospace Education, and in 1993 the Experimental Aircraft Association presented him with a Meritorious Service Award.  He has served on several AIAA Technical Committees and been an invited participant on NASA and DOD workshops.

Relevant Publications:
Gregorek, G.M.  “A Century of Airfoil Development.”  Invited
  AIAA Paper No. 99-0116, 37th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, Reno, NV,
  Jan. 11-14 1999.
Gregorek, G.M., Dreese, J.D. and LaNoe, K.  “Testing of the DHC-6
  Twin Otter Iced Airfoil Section at the OSU 7 x 10 Low Speed Wind Tunnel.”
  Report to NASA Lewis Research Center, Dec. 1998.
Ramsay, R.R. and Gregorek, G.M.  “Effects of Grit Roughness and
  Pitch Oscillations on the S812 Airfoil.”  National Renewable Energy
  Laboratory Report NREL/SR - 440 - 8167, October 1998.
Gregorek, G.M., Berchak, M.J., and Hoffman, M.J.  “Aerodynamic
  Characteristics of Four Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Airfoils.”  Ninth
  Wind Energy Symposium.  ASME Energy Sources Technology Conference,
  New Orleans, Jan. 14 - 17, 1990.
Gregorek, G.M. and Reuss, R.  “A Hypersonic Research Vehicle to
  Develop Scramjet Engines.”  AIAA Paper No. 90-3232.  Presented
  at the AIAA Aircraft Design and Operations Meeting, Dayton, Ohio, Sept.
  17 - 19, 1990.
Bragg, M.B. and Gregorek, G.M.  “Experimental Study of Airfoil
  Performance with Vortex Generators.”  AIAA Journal of Aircraft, Vol.
  24, No. 5, May 1987.
Gregorek, G.M., Hoffman, M.J., Freuler, R.J., Holmes, B.J., and Obara,
  C.J.  “Flight Performance of a Natural Laminar Flow Airfoil on a Composite
  Single Engine Business Aircraft.”  AIAA Paper 83-0055, presented at
  AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, Reno, NV, Jan. 1983.