John Roncz, the master aerodynamicist who worked on Burt Rutan’s Voyager and Scaled Composites’ Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer projects, died Sept. 28 at age 75. An honors graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Roncz contributed to the aerodynamic designs of more than 50 aircraft, overall. The Voyager, the first aircraft to circumnavigate the globe nonstop and unrefueled, and Steve Fawcett’s GlobalFlyer are enshrined in the National Air & Space Museum. He also designed the wing sail for Stars and Stripes, the 1988 winner of the America’s Cup yachting prize.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/john-roncz-master-aerodynamicist-to-experimental-aircraft-flies-west