"I wished I had Paul as a teacher when I attended Art Center."
- Ken Okuyama, designer
of the Ferarri Enzo
and past Transportation Chair of the Art
Center College of Design in Pasadena.
Paul T. Glessner's Introduction
for Consideration as Team’s Aerodynamicist
This letter is a summary of my background as it relates to automobile
racing in general. The intent of this summary is to apprise your team
of my background for consideration of me, and my technical staff when
appropriate, as an integral and/or satellite member of your racing team’s
organization. I look forward to a relationship that will develop beneficial
results for both parties. Sensitivity to security of team specific designs
is paramount.
Experience
~ I followed the career of my idol, Mark Donohue - winner of the 1972
Indy 500
and Brown University mechanical engineer, through all forms of racing
since I was 6 years old. I received his racing uniform shortly after his
Indy win and unfortunately served his funeral as an altar boy in 1975;
it hangs in the Peterson 
Automotive
Museum in Los Angeles. Apprised Roger S. Penske, Penske Racing, of a wing
design while studying as a sophomore at the Pennsylvania State University
in 1981 which later was designed, built and raced on the two cars he fielded
that placed Al Unser, Sr. 2nd and Rick Mears 3rd in the 1983 Indianapolis
500; there were only three cars on the last lap.
~ Pit crewed for Bob Leitzinger Camel GTU 280ZX in 1983. I oversaw a senior
thesis 
wind
tunnel program to increase downforce and reduce drag on his automobile.
Benefits were realized as he later went on to win the Camel GTU Championship
for NISSAN for two years in a row.
~ Executive Assistant to Gerald A. Wiegert, President and CEO of Vector
Aeromotive Corporation in the development of the much media touted $448,000
Vector W8 supercar. The “world’s fastest production automobile”
had a top speed of 218 m.p.h. and 0 to 60 m.p.h. in just 3.7 seconds per
Car and Driver and Road & Track. I have traveled the United States
and to Geneva for auto shows and met with royalty, superstars, shareholders,
fans, and fanatics.
I was charged with planning events, gathering technical contacts, developing
sponsorship with major companies, advertising, and promotional momentum
aside from giving technical expertise.
~ Requested by Adrian Reynard to provide technical input to their '93
Toyota Atlantic open-wheel racer in '92.
~ Active member of the RARE BEAR 
Reno
Air Racing Team. The vintage Grumman F-8F Bearcat owned by Lyle Shelton
is “the world’s fastest piston powered airplane” - 529
m.p.h. I assist them in aerodynamic consulting, marketing concepts, and
securing donations from my aerospace contacts.
~ Past Marketing & Sales Director of the G-383 Greenwood
Corvette. I was charged with the marketing momentum of this newly released
supercar devised by noted Corvette race car tuner, John Greenwood. John,
in his independently backed Corvette, beat the factory sponsored entries
at the 1969 LeMans; due to that finish, John single-handedly eliminated
Chevrolet’s backed racing Corvette and later that racing program.
I had every automobile magazine anxious to have this vehicle adorn their
covers.
~ Guest of several of the NHRA’s Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car
teams continuously at various races throughout the years. One team’s
crew chief has been quoted to say, “I have only been seeing ‘gains’
with 
everything
you have professed and we have implemented on the car so far.”
~ Flown to the 1999 NHRA Sonoma drag race as an independent aerodynamics
consultant for future rule changes and safety issues by the NHRA Vice-President
of Technical Operations.
~ Consulted on numerous Import Drag Racing cars.
~ Attended IndyCar, Indianapolis 500, ACO/ALMS, Grand-Am, Formula 1, Winston
Stock Car, Trans Am, USAC Dirt Track, SCCA-GT, NHRA drag racing, and vintage
car racing events for 35 years.
~ I have been an active pilot for the last 27 years since I was 16 years
old. I currently hold an FAA commercial license with both instrument and
multi-engine ratings. I have had the opportunity to fly aerobatics and
sailplanes as well. I have flown with my friend who was rated fifth in
the nation in aerobatics several years ago while another friend I have
flown with was Region 12 Open Class sailplane champion and then later
15 Meter National Champion..
~Lead Aerodynamicist for a World Land Speed Record (WLSR) attempt. Teamed
with Bill Fredrick who designed the Budweiser Rocket Car that sped to
739mph in 1979.
~While as XCOR Aerospace's Chief Aerodynamicist, I was involved in the
up and coming Rocket Racing League's Rocket Racer's aerodynamics as needed
and founded its aerodynamics department with both Computational Fluid
Dynamics services and a major computer manufacturer's use of their computers
to do such intensive calculations for "gratis."
"Education
B.S. - Pennsylvania State University, 1984 - Aerospace Engineering.
M.S. - Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, New York, 1989 - Aerospace Engineering
(Aerodynamics)
~Lockheed Technical Institute: Conceptual Aircraft Design (Lee Nicolai),
Practical Aircraft Design (Daniel Raymer), Stability & Control of
Aerospace Vehicles (H.M Youssef), LASC's CFD Codes I & II of II.
~Dan Raymer: Aircraft Conceptual Design 5 Day Short Course and Aircraft
Design Layout & Loft – January 2014, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Design 3 Day Short Course – February 2015.
~ Completed Claude Rouelle’s Race Car Engineering Seminar, February
2002
~ Taught at Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA 2002 – Professor
of Vehicle Aerodynamics
~ Attended National Test Pilot School, Mojave, California, for the Fixed
Wing Flight Testing certificate program, May 2003 and 2012.
~ Schools I have addressed on behalf of SAE regarding Vehicle Aerodynamics.
There are ~25 but the gallery link is broken and have rescinded it for
now. 5.2015
Organizations
~ Motor Press Guild, associated with since 1995, sponsored by John Dinkel,
Editor-in-Chief of Road & Track for 15 years. This guild affords me
the opportunity to meet automotive dignitaries and access automotive events
due to the media relation.
~ Society of Automotive Engineers, member since 1981, held numerous volunteer
positions such as Program Planning Chairman of the annual AEROTECH convention
for 1991 and 1992, and member of the S.A.E. Aerodynamics Committee.
~ American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association, affiliated
since 2001.
~ Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association, member since 1977.
~ The Auto Racing Fraternity Foundation, Inc., member since 1975.
Miscellaneous
~ Co-operative studies done at Boeing-Helicopters in 1981 & 1983 while
attending Pennsylvania State University.
~ I have worked at every major aerospace company over the last 20 years:
Boeing-Vertol, Grumman, Lockheed, McDonnell-Douglas, Boeing, a Handling
Qualities Principal Engineer on the F-22A CTF and XCOR Aerospace as their
Chief Aerodynamicist.
~ I have had several courses in Computational Fluid Dynamics besides my
Masters Degree in aerodynamics. My colleagues are principals at Analytical
Methods Inc., developers of the CFD program – VSAERO and another
is a CFD expert, aerospace department head of a major university and designer
of several race winning car designs.
~ My alma mater’s aerospace engineering department has given their
verbal interest to venture into a mutually beneficial co-operative effort
whereby the educational and industrial interactive relationship may be
exploited.
~ Another major university has given me a verbal commitment to access
their moving ground plane tunnel for any automotive or aircraft research.
Student participation reduces the associated costs significantly.
~ I am currently giving Vehicle Aerodynamics seminars to various universities,
clubs, companies and paying clientele.
Papers
1. Goldberg, U., Akdag, V., Palaniswamy, S., Oberoi, R., Bachchan, N.,
Glessner, P., Fredrick, W. “CFD Analysis of the American Challenger
Rocket Car”, SAE Paper 2006-01-0809, SAE World Congress, Detroit,
MI, 2006.
2. Oberoi, R., Chakravarthy, S., Fredrick, W., 
Glessner,
P.T. “Using CFD to Design the American Challenger Rocket Car”,
SAE Paper 2006-01-3660, SAE Motorsports Engineering Conference & Exposition,
Dearborn, MI, 2006.
3. R. Oberoi, S. Chakravarthy, O. Peroomian, V. Akdag, Metacomp Technologies,
Inc., W. Fredrick, P.T. Glessner, “CFD Analysis of Directional Stability
for the American Challenger Rocket Car, “ SAE Paper 2007- pending,
SAE Aerotech, Los Angeles, 2007.
Contacts: The list of contacts is extensive. I can elaborate on the list as necessary.
Resume can be sent upon request.
I hope this short synopsis provides some insight as to my background,
capacity, and capability to provide both marketing and technical direction.
Please feel free to contact me if I may be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Paul T. Glessner, M.S.
Aerodynamics and Stability & Control Engineer
Cell: (56 two) Seven One Four -668 six
PTGlessner AT aeroseminars DOT com
Updated on Feb. 10, 2015
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