About us
The American Airship Company is dedicated to producing versatile “Lighter than Air” flying machines.
AAC incorporates the American Blimp Company (ABC), which has been the leading manufacturer of airships in the United States for more than thirty years.
Airships consume a fraction of the energy of fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and rotor drones. Like drones, the airships can take off and land on a very small space, but can carry larger payloads, travel much longer distances, have very low vibrations, and are very quiet.
They are therefore excellent platforms for Persistent Surveillance, Telecoms restoration, Environmental Monitoring, Search & Rescue, Surveying and Mapping, and certain types of scientific research.
Our current focus is on the development of a new aerostat-airship hybrid, which will leverage our existing FAA-certified airship designs as the foundation for remotely-controlled, electrically powered platforms.
When tethered to a ground station, our airship becomes an aerostat, communicating data and drawing power for its electrical systems over the tether. Using an automatic pilot, it can “station-keep”, resisting dislocation from the wind (“blow-down”) by flying itself continuously into its intended geographical position and altitude.
Get more information
contact information
Let’s Get In Touch
Meet the Staff
Adam P. Dixon, CEO & President: has been an entrepreneur, leading executive, project manager, and consultant for over 20 years, specialized on air transportation, renewable (distributed) energy generation, and electric mobility. An additional more recent focus has been on the application of recently declassified military technologies to the improvement of overall energy efficiency in a variety of systems. Starting as a Senior Consultant at KPMG on “Defense Conversion” projects in Eastern Europe in the 1990’s, he progressed into the aviation sector, working for the specialty consultants “Beddows & Co.” (London), and from 1994-1999 as entrepreneur and lead consultant to the management of Samara Airlines (Russia). He has been developing applications for airships since 2016, and is a Co-Founder in 2020 of the American Airship Company. Mr. Dixon is a graduate of Harvard College (BA 1983), Leningrad State University (Russia 1986), and Oxford University (M.Phil 1988), and is an FAA-licensed UAV pilot.
Heberden Ryan, CFO: Mr. Ryan has 30 years of operational, venture capital, and private equity experience. He joined Hachette Filipacchi Media US, an international media conglomerate, in 1991, where he managed a marketing and advertising division of the Company. In 1998, Mr. Ryan joined Megunticook Management, a Boston-based venture capital firm, and raised $150 million and served as a General Partner and Head of the Media Practice. Three of Megunticook’s companies were valued in aggregate at over $650 million at exit. In 2003, he founded Boston Post Partners (BPP), an independent sponsor private equity firm, and has been a Managing Director there since then. In 2006, he concluded a tenure as Chief Operating Officer at Resolution Inc. and from 2007 until 2013 served as Chairman of the Board of TalentScope Holdings LLC. From 2011 to 2013, he also served as an early employee of Social Finance, Inc. (SoFi), a fintech company. Since 2021, Mr. Ryan has been Chief Financial Officer of American Airship Company, Inc. All four companies are BPP portfolio companies. Mr. Ryan graduated from Harvard College, magna cum laude, in 1991 and received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1998.
Dr. Loginn Kapitan, CTO: has over 35 years experience in the aerospace industry with an extensive background in unmanned systems, LTA, and ISR special projects for both military and commercial applications. In addition to special sensor integrations on the Predator UAS and unmanned airship development and demonstration while at SAIC, Dr. Kapitan has managed special ISR programs using manned Beechcraft King Air and Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft for the DoD. Regarding commercial LTA systems, Dr. Kapitan has experience as an OEM managing the Type Certificate 138S airship program at SAIC and the development of commercial heavy lift airships, including co-founding LTA Aerostructures Inc. in Canada. Dr. Kapitan is a graduate of MIT (B.Sc.) and George Washington University (Ph.D.) and is co-inventor on both airship design and utility patents.
Robert Ladkani, Chief Electrical Engineer: As an electrical engineer, Mr. Ladkani has spent the last 5 years specializing in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). In addition to design engineering, Mr. Ladkani worked closely with the FAA in the certification process for UAS’s and will play a critical role in the FAA certification process for the hybrid airship. Mr. Ladkani previously held a DoD Secret Level Clearance.
Swetha Suresh, Chief Systems Engineer: Primary responsibility is for the proposed modifications to the existing A-60+ and A-170 airships (& auxiliary equipment, e.g. the mooring mast) and in the design, build, and flight test of new airships. This includes providing detailed stress analysis, Finite Element Modeling and Simulation, and correlation of design expectations with test results. Responsibilities also include producing engineering drawings and documentation in the conceptual and detailed design phase of the airships. She holds a BA (First Class with Distinction) in Aeronautical Engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University (Karnataka, India) and an M.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Florida).
Consultants
Dr. Brandon Buerge: is a practicing Aerospace Engineer at Microflight Engineering, LLC, an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Wichita State University, and is on staff at the Walter H. Beech Memorial Wind Tunnel at the National Institute for Aviation Research. He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Washington University, and is a licensed Commercial Pilot and Certified Flight Instructor. His engineering experience is primarily in the areas of low-speed aerodynamics, performance analysis and modelling, experimental aerodynamics, lighter-than-air aircraft design, and non-rigid structures. He has supported a number of military and heavy lift airship development projects over the years.
Mitch Whitlock: With over 30 years of experience in airships, Mr. Whitlock led the maintenance department of ABC and assisted in business development. Mr. Whitlock spearheaded airship certification in 10 different countries, liaisons with foreign civil aviation authorities on a regular basis and is instrumental in maintaining relationships with multiple different FAA divisions. Mr. Whitlock is directly responsible for many of the FAA certified flight, maintenance and operational manuals used within the LTA industry today. FAA certificates held: Airframe and Powerplant (A&P), Part 145 Repairmen, Inspection Authorization (IA). Civil Aviation Authority United Kingdom (CAA UK) Certificates: LWTR Piston Engine Airship. Civil Aviation Authority Australian: Multi Engine Airship.
Chris Wegener: From 1989 to 2016, Mr. Wegener lead quality control and the FAA Type Certificate certification process for the American Blimp Company (ABC) and remains a current consultant for AAC/ABC. As an FAA Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR), Mr. Wegener serves a critical role in the FAA airworthiness certification process of all current and future airship projects. Certificates held: FAA Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR), FAA Certificate Service Recognition Award.