Fred E.C. Culick, Richard L. and Dorothy M. Hayman Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Professor of Jet Propulsion, 1963-2004, Emeritus.

Beginning with his M.I.T. Sc.D. thesis, has worked on both theory and experiment for the general problem of unsteady motions in combustion chambers. His own work and surveys of international works are covered in a monograph published by Cambridge University Press on combustion instabilities and related problems in gas and liquid rockets, ramjets, gas turbines, and thrust augmentors. Work on active control of combustion dynamics grew out of earlier researches on problems of robotics and control of dynamical systems.

Actively involved for three decades in research and advisory activities at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, including spacecraft engineering and design.

Personal international collaborations have led to editing translations of two Russian monographs on theory and experiment of combustion instabilities in liquid propellant rockets.

Interests in fundamentals and history of aerodynamics and aircraft dynamics motivated a monograph on basic airfoil theory also to be published by Cambridge University Press.

Serves as Chairman of an AIAA project he co-founded in 1978 to construct two full scale replicas of the 1903 Wright 'Flyer', one of which is displayed in the FAA building in Los Angeles, and the second, a flying replica, is nearly completed, at Flabob Airport, California. Built the first complete (1/6 scale) wind tunnel model of the 'Flyer' and acquired data to explain the flight dynamics of the first airplane. Has authored numerous papers and presentations on various aspects of aeronautical history.

In collaboration with Spencer Dunmore, Culick published On Great White Wings: The Wright Brothers and the Race for Flight.