Jetblack Team

Richard Nowland

- Richard team

Project Director & Founder

Richard is the founder of the Jetblack project and is responsible for the overall direction and leadership of the organisation.

Wing Commander Stephen Hunt

Driver & Cockpit Design

Wing Commander Stephen Hunt is a highly experienced fast-jet pilot, instructor and flight test supervisor. He has flown the Harrier GR7 on many operational tours in Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo in day and night strike attack, offensive air support, and armed reconnaissance roles. He is extensively experienced in the execution and leadership of military offensive air operations, tactics, low level night operations and weapons employment. He has worked extensively on the operational flight test, evaluation, risk, development, supervision and safety of all recent major RNZAF test and evaluation projects; particularly in the areas of cockpit design, integration and human factors. In recent years Steve has commanded the RNZAF Pilot Training Squadron, lead the Air Force formation aerobatic team and has been the Director of Operating Standards for the RNZAF.

Richard Roake

Aerodynamics

Richard Roake created the concept for the Jetblack vehicle and is a Director and Chief Designer of Aquadria Ltd and I4TG Ltd. In his largely Europe and US based career he has designed a diverse range of aircraft and yachts, some of which won design awards. Richard returned to NZ in 2002 he has largely focused on aerodynamic design for aircraft and hydrodynamics for catamarans, along with his interest in Jetblack.

Glynne Bowsher

- GlynneB team

Wheel Design

Glynne Bowsher was chief mechanical engineer of Thrust SSC, the current holder of the World Landspeed Record. His long career was served mainly with Girling Brakes in his native country of Wales before moving to Birmingham, UK to continue work for the same company. He went to work on the Thrust SSC project shortly thereafter.

Glynne is designing the most critical component of the Jetblack vehicle, the wheels.

Wing Commander Frank Dyer

Engineering Manager

Wing Commander Frank Dyer is an Aircraft Engineering Officer in the Royal New Zealand Air Force. He has deployed with the RNZAF operationally worldwide on Helicopters, C-130 Hercules and A4-K fast-jet aircraft as the Squadron Engineering Officer. He has had experience in design, evaluation and flight testing including flightdeck design and Human Machine Interface. Frank is currently seconded to the Ministry of Defence as the Project Manager finishing the C-130 upgrade programme. His role is Jetblack’s engineering manager and responsible for the planning and organization of engineers and the design.

Dr Mark Battley

Structural Engineer

Mark is the Director of Applied Engineering Research Limited and Deputy Director of the Centre for Advanced Composite Materials at the University of Auckland. He has 25 years of experience in composites research and applications including analysis, design and testing for a wide range of sectors – particularly marine, aerospace, defence, infrastructure and sporting equipment. He has worked in NZ and Europe, and is currently involved in composites research programmes from NZ, Australia, the USA and Europe, and consultancy work with NZ industry.

Mark is ersponsible for the structural design of Jetblack's chassis - the first all composite chassis for a world landspeed record challenger.

Tony Gray

Structural Engineer & Optimisation

Tony is the Managing Director of Altair Engineering in Australia and New Zealand. He has 24 years experience in numerical modelling of structures. Tony spent six years at the Ford European R&D centre and three years with Altair in the UK, where he specialised in NVH (noise, vibration & harshness), durability and design optimisation. Having worked with clients across a number of industries, including automotive, medical, defence, aerospace, offshore, appliance and agricultural - he has a broad understanding of the practical capabilities and benefits of simulation technology.

Dr. Arif Karabeyoglu

Rocket Propulsion Manager

Dr. Arif Karabeyoglu is the President and Chief Technical Officer of Space Propulsion Group, Inc. He also holds a Consulting Professor position at Stanford University. In his career Dr. Karabeyoglu has performed extensive research in the field of hybrid rocket combustion and propulsion which has ranged from theoretical studies to investigations of practical applications and propulsion testing. In addition, Dr. Karabeyoglu has years of experience as an instructor and lecturer at Stanford University on a range of subjects including Applied Aerodynamics, Rocket Propulsion and Experimental Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has also served as the Program Manager and Principal Investigator for a number of SPG programs that focused on the development and testing of hybrid rockets. Dr. Karabeyoglu has numerous journal articles, conference papers and patents in the field of rocket propulsion. He was the vice-chairman of the AIAA's Hybrid Technical Committee from 2009-2011 and also serves on the Expert Advisory Board that oversees the development of the SpaceShipTwo propulsion system.

Dr Robert Wellington

Cockpit Research

Robert has been teaching and researching HCI (Human Computer Interaction) for about 8 years, and in that time the field has moved well beyond input forms for accounting software, to interaction design for computers in every part of our lives. HCI has truly become an interdisciplinary field involving (at the very least); Ergonomics, Biological Sciences (Human Perception and Cognition), Social Science, and Communication Theory. Robert is currently the Director of the HCI laboratory at AUT University and teaching HCI on both the Undergraduate and Post Graduate programmes and supervising Post Graduate and Doctoral research in the field.

Dr Stefan Marks

Cockpit Simulation

Stefan has recently completed his PhD in Computer Science with a focus on Virtual Environments, Game Engines, and Medical Teamwork Training. He is currently working as lecturer for Computer Graphics and Programming at AUT University.
With his 7 years of expertise in graphics, interaction, and physical simulation in game engines, Stefan is responsible for creating a realistic and interactive simulator of the Jetblack vehicle for the HCI user studies being conducted under the supervision of Dr Robert Wellington.

Dr Roy Davies

Visual Display & QR Codes

Roy is a Virtual Reality consultant, researcher and budding Entrepreneur with over 15 years overseas experience in the Virtual Reality industry. Currently, he is running the VR Suite at AUT, which aims to do Research of Value in the Progression of Ideas through Multisensory Simulation and Interaction, running his own Consultancy which specialises in Virtual Reality total solutions (Hardware, Software and programming), Usability and advice on doing Research and Development, and creating a Startup company dealing with GeoReality solutions. He has a background in Usability, User Centered Design, Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Ergonomics and Virtual Reality.

Richard Askin

Industrial and Component design, CAD Systems Management, Graphic Design

Richard is a cornerstone on the Jetblack project and contributes to most of the sub-projects with design and CAD management. Almost all of the files and images that the design team work with have passed over Richard's desk (or through his software..). Richard works as an industrial designer in Wellington, NZ.

Robert Slade

Systems Integration

Rob trained as a physicist at Bristol University (UK) and started his working career at Rolls Royce Aero-engines (Filton) working on instrumentation for the EJ200 engine now used in the Typhoon fighter aircraft. He has worked in developing a varitey of measurements systems, including oil-well measurement-while-drilling instruments, and most recently developing MRI medical imaging technology for Siemens. Rob currently work in Dr Bob Buckley's team at IRL on technology applications for high temperature superconductors."

Jim Lawson

Jet Engine Manager

Jim Lawson will install and manage the Rolls Royce Avon that will initially power Jetblack. Jim's career began in the 1940's with the RAF as an engine fitter. He moved to NZ in 1954 and since then has worked on a vast number of engines and aeroplanes in private practice. Jim currently works from Ardmore Airfield, Auckland and specialises on Hawker Hunter aircraft which also use the Rolls Royce Avon.

Brett Longhurst

Vehicle Dynamic Analysis and Suspension Design

Brett is director and co founder of Bremar Automotion, a Melbourne based engineering consultancy specializing in computer simulation. His extensive automotive background covering OE, low volume and motorsport, along with experience in the mining, general engineering and heavy vehicle industries, sees Brett positioned as a simulation specialist across a number of CAE disciplines including Finite Element Analysis and Multi-Body Dynamics. Brett will be performing various simulation tasks for the Jetblack project, including suspension and vehicle dynamics simulation.

Dr Lance Beath

Strategic Advisor & Government liason

Lance’s role in the Jetblack Challenge Team is to act as strategy advisor to Richard Nowland, helping to identify and overcome significant challenges as they arise and assisting Richard with keeping the Challenge Team on course to the desired endpoint of a successful New Zealand challenge for the World Land Speed record. Lance is also serving as Government liaison to the Jetblack Team.

Lance worked in the New Zealand public sector for many years. He served in various posts at home and overseas in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for 20 years and later moved to the Ministry of Defence where he managed Strategic and International Policy over a 10 year period. Lance is now a private and public sector consultant and Senior Lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington's School of Government specialising in the fields of strategic studies and defence and security policy.