Dr. Jan Roskam
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Dr. Jan Roskam was born on February 22, 1930 in The Hague, The Netherlands to Jan and Ada (Bosman) Roskam. After attending elementary and high school in The Hague he enrolled in Aeronautical Engineering at Delft University of Technology in Delft, The Netherlands. He graduated with a Master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1954. He also obtained his private pilot’s license at The Netherlands National Flying School in 1954.
His first employment was as assistant chief designer for the Aviolanda Aircraft Company working on several military airplane projects. Being eligible for the military draft, he was fortunate to be appointed a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Netherlands Air Force while remaining in his job at Aviolanda. After fulfilling his military service in that manner, he became employed by Cessna Aircraft Company of Wichita, Kansas where he assisted in the design of the Cessna T-37 and AT-37 military jets from 1956-1958.
From 1958 to 1967 he was employed by The Boeing Company, first in Wichita, Kansas and since 1962 in Seattle, Washington. At Boeing he worked on a variety of military and civilian aircraft designs, including the Boeing TFX fighter (that became the F-111), the AMSA bomber (that became the B-1) and the 2707 Supersonic Transport (cancelled by the US Congress). He became a U.S. citizen in 1962. While employed at Boeing he enrolled in a Ph.D. program at The University of Washington and earned his Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1965.
While working full time at Cessna and Boeing he taught aeronautical engineering and mathematics courses in the evening at The University of Wichita (now Wichita State University) and later at Seattle University.
In 1967 Dr. Roskam was appointed as Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. He was promoted to full professor in 1972 and to Ackers Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering in 1974. Dr. Roskam served as Chairman of Aerospace Engineering from 1972-1976.
Dr. Roskam formed the K.U. Flight Research Laboratory in 1968 and served as its’ Director until 1984.
In 1971 Dr. Roskam formed Roskam Aviation and Engineering Corporation (RAEC) in Lawrence, Kansas. This company engaged in a wide variety of airplane design and development programs on behalf of other companies. Many K.U. students and engineers in Wichita, Kansas were engaged by RAEC on airplane projects such as the Gates-Learjet Models 25 and 36 corporate jet transports, the SIAI-Marchetti S-211 military jet trainer, the Beech King Air turboprop corporate transport, the Grumman X-29 forward swept wing jet fighter and the Piaggio P.180 Avanti turboprop corporate transport. The company also was the publisher of twelve textbooks on aircraft design, stability, control and performance written by Dr. Roskam. He liquidated RAEC in 2001.
In 1977 Dr. Roskam taught his first one-week short course on Flight Dynamics and Automatic Flight Control. In 1981 the short course program came under the leadership of Jan Thomas Barron. Since that time the K.U. Aerospace Engineering Short Course Program has become the world standard for aerospace engineering short course programs. In 2011 Dr. Roskam taught his last short course in Aircraft Preliminary Design in Seattle, Washington. He has taught more than 160 short courses to thousands of engineers, engineering managers and pilots.
In 1991 Dr. Roskam formed Design Analysis and Research Corporation (together with former student Dr. Willem Anemaat) to develop and market the Advanced Aircraft Analysis software (which he started at K.U.) and also, to take over aircraft design consulting and book publishing from RAEC. Dr. Roskam served as President of DARcorporation until 2006.
Dr. Roskam retired from full-time teaching in 2003 and from short course teaching in 2011. He was a Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Society of Automotive Engineers and the Royal Aeronautical Society of England.
He served on a wide variety of advisory committees for NASA and the USAF. He also received numerous awards including the 2003 K.U. Chancellors Career Teaching Award and the prestigious AIAA Aircraft Design Award (2007). Dr. Roskam is the author of more than 155 publications including 16 textbooks on aeronautical engineering. He has worked on the design and development of more than 36 different airplane types. He also has piloted more than 38 different types of airplanes.
He is survived by his wife, Janice Thomas Barron of the home and by his sister, Ada Groenevelt of Haarlem, The Netherlands, several nieces and nephews who live abroad and nephew Harrie Goroenevelt of Pittsford, NY. He is also survived by step-children Chris Barron of Chicago, Alison Stacy (Tommy) of Dallas and step-granddaughters Ashley and Abby Stacy of Dallas.
Memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, September 16, 2022 at Warren-McElwain Mortuary in Lawrence. Jan passed away Friday, September 9, 2022 at his home in Lawrence.
Memorial may be made in Jan’s name to the Lawrence Humane Society or LMH Health Cancer Center expansion and may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044.
Jan you will be missed. You were my professor, mentor and good friend for over 33 years. It was an honor to work for and with you. I will miss our discussions about aircraft and politics. Rest in Peace!
To one of my favorite professors…thanks for being so tough (but fair) on us.
Rest in peace, Dr. Roskam.
Jan was my teacher, my boss when I managed one of his research projects at the KU Flight Research Lab, and later as a mentor and career role model. It is because of Jan that i came to KU to obtain my Masters in Aerospace Engineering, that launched my career in Airplane Flight test. I am forever grateful. I learned so much from him, as did so many other aeronautical engineers. You will be missed. Rest in Peace, and enjoy flying on your new found wings.
Jan was one of the most important and formative persons in my life. He was a respected teacher, life coach, and profound inspiration for me. I first met him when I was a high school junior, visiting colleges… the first professor I ever met in my life. He spent an hour of his busy day regaling me with stories of airplanes and technology… and wisdom. His prophetic words still ring in my ears from 39 years ago: “Young man, a key to happiness in life, not the only one, but A key, is to: first, figure out what you like to do, then second, see if you can make a living doing what you like to do.” I still lay that precise line on visiting high schoolers. His classes were tough, but inspiring and illuminating. His enthusiasm for flying things, aircraft design and flight was infectious and rubbed off on nearly everybody who was even slightly inclined to like such things. His words on professional ethics are still spot on: “You job’s not done till you’re comfortable putting your spouse and kids on board that aircraft.” These words are among the first ones I make sure to pass on to KUAE students in Capstone Aircraft Design, still to this day. Although he was the most demanding teacher I ever had, I am profoundly grateful for his holding my feet to the fire. No other teacher I had before him or had since demanded that volume and level of professionalism in academic work. I know that my classmates and I didn’t appreciate it when we were going through such a wringer but I sure do appreciate it now. Although tough, he managed to instill a love and appreciation for the discipline of aircraft design and history… which is so much more valuable that just imparting a skillset. His teaching load by today’s standards was outrageous: He regularly handled three 4-hour classes in the Fall and two 4-hour classes in the Spring… 20 hours per academic year! (The departmental average today is 1/2 that load.) He did all of that while doing world-class research and lecturing far and wide. He was on my Ph.D. committee, helped prepare me for some of the craziness of an academic career and left me with great pointers on how to balance the needs of students, vagaries of administrators and family. I cannot overstate Jan’s positive impact on my career and life. For all that he has done for me, I am profoundly grateful. Rest in peace dear mentor, teacher, scholar, friend…
Jan was an eminent scholar, and remains a giant in the field of aerospace design. More importantly, Jan led by examples of honesty, integrity, hard work and personal accountability. I treasure the years I worked with him in the KU Aerospace Engineering program, and am fortunate to have had my own career directly influenced by him. Our thoughts are with Jannie and her family, and it is a true loss to our KUAE family.
I was always in the “periphery” of his busy life. He really hammered me Initially when I was just learning to design planes. He made me realize how important math is. I bought an old aero calculator software over 29 years ago. I REALLY didn’t understand the stability modules until after I took AE550/551. Doesn’t compare the ease of use of AAA! It takes a special passion for flying and designing planes CORRECTLY! I’ve seen how he doesn’t suffer fools and takes the subject matter seriously! Sadly, he retired 1 semester before I got to see how he taught.
Every aeronautical engineer in the world owes you a bit of their knowledge. Thank you dr. Roskam for teaching a generation of young professionals so that we can keep moving aviation forward.
“ If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”
– Sir Isaac Newton
How fortunate I was to study under Dr. Roskam, and have the chance to work with him briefly in industry. He was an extraordinary educator with a deep passion for airplanes and teaching others about them.
Rest well, sir.
Doug Shane
I have been studying his aircraft design book the last year and it’s fantastic, he is a master Genius that surely will be missed among us the aeronautics! Rest in peace and my condolences to his family
Thank you for sharing your knowledge through your books. Will keep your fire burning. You will always be remembered by your work. Rest in Peace sir.
Thank you for your amazing books, which carried me through my degree. Rest in peace.
An outstanding scholar and a true gentleman, who was enormously dedicated to his students and profession. He was a great asset to his department and KU, and leaves behind a great legacy. Our limited interactions have always been pleasant. His guest lecture on the history of aviation in Kansas during a CEBC Industry Advisory Board dinner event was most absorbing, and easily one of the best. Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
Thinking of you, Jannie, and all the family, during this sad time. We enjoyed knowing Jan in our bridge-playing group. It was sobering, but interesting, to hear his stories of growing up in the Netherlands during that time. It sounds like he had an amazing and fulfilling life and is leaving a valuable legacy of his work with students and colleagues around the world.
Count me among the hundreds of engineers that can say they wouldn’t be where they are if not for Jan Roskam. I was extremely lucky to have gone through the Aero program at KU with Dr. Roskam as a scholar, mentor, and teacher. Along with the many lessons learned, he passed on a passion for Aviation and Engineering that lives with me to this day. I will be forever thankful. My condolences to his family, friends, and my fellow students.
Dr. Roskam was one of a handful of people I would credit with teaching me professionalism, integrity, and a lifelong passion for the magic of flight. Even though I graduated from KUAE 35 years ago, not a week goes by that I don’t think of something he taught me or convey one of his “war stories” to those who did not have the opportunity to know him personally. May he rest in peace knowing he made a difference in this world in his direct and indirect contributions to the advancement of flight.
Like so many others have already said, Dr. Roskam shaped me and prepared me for success as an engineer in this industry. Besides being a extremely knowledgeable teacher, he instilled in his students the proper work ethic, integrity and professionalism. He led by example and his enthusiasm was contagious. I feel extremely fortunate to have had him as a professor during my Junior and senior years. Rest in Peace Dr. Roskam, few have touched so many lives in such a meaningful way.
I may have moved on from the aerospace industry, but I’ve never moved on from the lessons he taught me. He demanded excellence, but had such a soft and caring heart to help students. From him I learned not to be afraid of hard problems, do your best, and work as a team incorporating everyone’s views – “the goal is not the best wing, it’s the best airplane”. Excellence, teamwork, and caring – lessons that apply in all our lives. RIP Dr. Roskam, and thank you for all you did for me, and so many.
I cannot find the suitable words to describe my feelings about someone who helped me build my career as a teacher. He was an excellent teacher and a wonderful human being . I remember every moment I had with him, from our first meeting that he said to me” we cannot accept you as an aerospace engineer” !!! Until the last day that he congratulated me for getting my PhD.
I am sure his life as an engineer and teacher will remain distinctive among all of us who have the privilege to see and work with him.
I am sure world needs more engineers like Jan Roskam.
Dr. Roskam was a giant of the aircraft design science and I learned a lot from his books and publications. The way he was talking during seminar and conferences was very easy and making understand the basic of aircraft design. Today all aeronautic engineers feel very very sad. Rest in peace
Jan will be Missed!! His love, passion, and knowledge of aircraft design is unmatched. He was the reason that I moved from California to Kansas and never looked back. It was an honor and pleasure to know him as a graduate student and finally as a colleague at KUAE for over 32 years. Hi work ethics and discipline always propagated throughout the department and stayed with the graduates forever. Rest in peace!
Jan was indeed an absolute giant in the Aerospace Industry for many reasons. Perhaps the greatest though was the knowledge, perspective, work ethic and professional integrity he imparted on so many students for decades – many of whom went on to have great influence of their own. It seems that most anyone who learned from Jan has a ‘Roskam story’ – sometimes embellished and often repeated as an endearing badge of honor. Jan had a reputation for being tough and having high standards – the kind that mold lasting talent – but he took the time to genuinely mentor and provide caring counsel. As outlined above in several places, the magnitude of what he accomplished is a marvel in itself, yet I remember him always being generous with his time. His legacy is undeniable, and will continue for years to come. I’m very grateful for all that I learned from Jan – as so many are!
Thank you, Dr. Roskam – rest in peace.
Dr. Roskam,
I am really blessed to have you as my teacher at KUAE, and as a mentor & as a friend at DAR. Thank you for everything!
You will be deeply missed.
Rest in peace.
Ken Po
I was privileged to have Dr. Roskam as my professor for Stability and Control at the University of Kansas as well as my MSAE sponsor and advisor. He expected excellence while making it clear that he cared about you as a person and wanted you succeed. He may not have appreciated my defection to automotive aerodynamics but was a great influence on my life and professional success. He will be greatly missed.
Dr. Roskam’s reach was global through his books, short courses, and impact on aircraft designs around the world. His reach was local and deep through his students at KU. Dr. Roskam’s output was incredible, and yet he always had time. Dr. Roskam was larger than life and yet still human. I remember him telling me once that he always got eight hours of sleep.
I was fortunate to be one of Dr. Roskam’s PhD students. I learned about the legendary Roskam method while waiting outside his office door for my appointments. I only experienced the kind, helpful, gentlemanly Dr. Roskam. He could turn the legendary part on and off in an amazing way. One of my proudest days was after a successful dissertation defense when Dr. Roskam told me I must now call him Jan.
We stayed connected over the years. I saw the Roskam method at the NASA/USRA Universities Advanced Design Program summer conferences while I was the Program Manager. USRA hoped that I could get Roskam to quit being so hard on the students from other universities. Not if those students were going to make stuff up for answers to questions. KU students were not the only ones to celebrate surviving Dr. Roskam!
As chair of the AIAA Wichita Section, I was privileged to present Jan with the 2007 AIAA Aircraft Design Award. We made him speak for his dinner and award. Everyone loved to listen to Jan and could always learn something. We loved that meeting because so many of Jan’s former students in Wichita came out to honor him.
I was always so happy to see Jan and Jannie at KU events and missed them when they stopped coming out. Jannie, thank you for taking such good care of Jan. And for being such a nice person yourself. I mourn with you and with many. My prayers are for peace and goodness for you, your family, and all Jan’s colleagues and friends.
Jan’s absence will leave a hole; the world is diminished a little. But he has left a huge legacy that will live on and continue his good work. The best part is Jan thoroughly enjoyed what he was doing while he was doing it.
Rest in peace, Jan. You certainly earned it.
Our condolences to the family and our respect to this great contributor to the aviation industry. His books and classes were and continued to be a reference for a long time. Stay in peace. Andre Luis – TCCA
Jan Roskam was my friend and colleague at KUAE. More than that, he was an inspiration and role model. Emulating his enthusiasm for aircraft design, I started a senior engine design course at KU with some success. Jan was always congratulatory and supportive of my efforts. Thank you Jan for being such an important part of my professional life. My heartfelt condolences go to Jannie, their family and friends.
Rest in peace my friend.
I met Dr. Jan Roskam 55 years ago. He was my teacher, mentor, boss and (the most cherished) friend. I can honestly say that in my 42 years in the aerospace industry I never met anyone that could match Jan’s unrelenting commitment to excellence and rigorous discipline. Jan had very high expectations for everyone, and it was an honor to try to achieve. I don’t do aircraft design anymore but there are little things I do every day that derive from Jan’s expectations. I will miss you, but I’ll never forget you. Your legacy will live forever. May God’s love rest upon you.
Having contributed immensely to the world of aircraft design, most if not all aircraft has got a glimpse of Jan’s textbooks influence.
Condolences to the family. Jan still lives on in every airplane flying up in the skies.
Dr. Roskam was a nationally and internationally renowned researcher, educator, and mentor. His impact on generations of Aerospace Engineers crossed boarders and shaped a new approach to modern aircraft design. His legacy will endure for generations to come.
Dr Roskam was a pioneer in aircraft design education and his “war stories” have inspired many next generation designers to continue the quest for more efficient, more environmentally friendly and safer aircraft designs to meet the air transportation needs of the future.
His famous multi-colored aircraft design textbooks and as founder of DARcorporation his legacy will have an impact on students and design professionals for many years to come.
Rest in Peace.
We were truly fortunate that Dr. Roskam was there to pass down his astonishing knowledge of aircraft design to us. And I’m thankful now that he was there to push us hard to be our best.
One piece of advice he gave us in May before graduating has stuck with me through the years. It goes something like this…
“When you leave with your degree, it is not the end. Your degree is a license to learn.”
I reflect on this daily.
Rest Well.
Jan lived a long and full life leaving this world a better place with all his hands-on work and publications. I’ am honored to have worked directly with him and having good memories of him. When I started KU aerospace program back in 1997, I became a part of a national airplane design competition called Build it, Fly it funded by NASA and led by him with 3 to 4 universities collaborating. I was a member of the design team with him supervising it directly. They were looking for an official name for the model airplane we were designing and I suggested ‘Aladdin’ among other names suggested by others. He thought about it and said, “ I like it!” So, Aladdin stayed and went on to win the 1st place national prize the following year. And, a few other good memories such as sitting in the back of his van with a couple other graduate students and driving down to Wichita and Pittsburg, KS. A great and solid educator among other great professors I was lucky to be taught by at KUAE. Rest In Peace Dr. Roskam. You will be missed!
From a fellow Roskam who happened to connect to this wonderful man, literally inadvertently, and for the first time, from the Antipodes, NZ, at the time of his funeral. Safe journey, fly high!
My deepest condolences to the family and friends.
I offer my deepest condolences to his lovely wife Jan and his entire family on their loss.
Jan Roskam was one of a few professors who I think had a truly lifelong impact on who I am as an engineer. Simply said, I don’t think I would be half as good an engineer if I had not studied under Jan. He came from a generation that still believed perfection was achievable, and he taught us students to be rigorous in our methods to achieve that. I was also inspired by the fact that Jan never believed any idea was too “out there” to be realizable. Jan was a great man in a world that needs more like him. He will be missed.
I am privileged and honoured to have shared with Dr. Roskam the early phases of my professional career. I treasure the fond memories of my years in Lawrence as a young engineer, first at DARcorp and then at KUAE Master’s programme. His mentoring and advice left an indelible mark on me and many others, our minds forever imprinted with memorable quotes.
My sincerest condolences to the family and friends.
Rest in peace
In 1977 a young Dutch student met Dr. Jan Roskam over lunch in the cafeteria of TU Delft aerospace engineering to discuss study and research opportunities at KU. For this young fellow, this turned out to be the start of a rewarding journey, both professionally and personally. Thank you Dr. Roskam for believing in me, inviting me to study at KU, creating opportunities to work on interesting research projects, teaching me the art and engineering of aircraft design, and providing great professional advice. I am forever grateful.
Like so many have commented, I was blessed to have Dr. Roskam as an instructor and privileged to have worked for him during my summers at KU. He was a visionary, I recall discussing with him about “flying through the hoops” and instruments that would display the outside world. Every conversation was educational and enlightening and often had a bit of humor.
Thank you, Dr. Roskam, for being an outstanding role model and a person of impeccible integrity and ethics. The example you’ve set, and the many personal and professional lessons you’ve demonstrated to us, will continue to carry on for years to come.
Thank you for all the valuable lessons you taught us.
My sincerest condolences to the family and friends.
R.I.P Dr. Roskam
By the time I started my PhD in 2006 at The University of Kansas, Dr. Roskam had already retired. However, there were many stories that were told about his classes, his teaching style and his very direct way of communicating. He served in my Doctoral Committee and I got to know him as a very knowledgeable person about aviation and particularly when it came to Aircraft Design. His passion for airplanes was clear in virtually every conversation I had with him since we met in December of 2006. I only started to fully appreciate his contribution to the field of Aircraft Design after I graduated. I had seen at KU how Aircraft Design was taught to undergraduate students by Dr. Ron Barrett. Dr. Roskam would contribute to these lectures by sitting in on Design Review meetings. Only by observing these sessions, I learned a great deal about Aircraft Design. It was one of the reasons why I wanted to teach Aircraft Design at TU Delft.
Dr. Roskam was also responsible for the connection between TU Delft and The University of Kansas. Many `Delft’ students from professor Torenbeek would come and study at KU under Dr. Roskam. Some of them stayed in the United States and built their careers there.
Dr. Roskam’s contribution to the field of Aircraft Design can hardly be overstated. The shear amount of devotion that it takes to write such a comprehensive series of text books is simply astounding. Many educators around the world, including myself, have benefitted from these books in their teachings.
Finally, Dr. Roskam’s co-founding of the Aerospace Short Course program of The University of Kansas is impressive. Since the foundation in 1977, the program has grown and is now recognized as a world leader of professional and continuing education in the aerospace field.
My last interaction with Dr. Roskam was through email, after one of his webinars that I attended. We discussed the high approach angle of the Flying V upon landing and how that could possibly lead to tip-strike when the airplane would be slightly banked and in a gusty atmosphere. This was last year.
For me personally, Dr. Roskam has been an important source of inspiration. His passion for aviation, his diligence in writing text books, and his view on Aircraft Design Education have all influenced me. While I am sad that he has passed away, I feel very fortunate to have known him.
Professor Jan Roskam was a giant of airplane design education and airplane design in general.
The William E. Boeing Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he obtained his PhD, mourns his passing.
I cannot add anything that has not already been so eloquently stated in the many previous messages about Jan Roskam’s extraordinary aircraft knowledge, his exeplary teaching ability, and his integrity and high standards, for himself as well as his students. Although Jan Roskam cared about and inspired his students, he was a bit challenging to get to know well, as he had an aura of strength and stoicism which could be intimidating to a new student. However, one day while working at DARcorp, Jan and I ended up getting coffee in the break room at the same time. He turned to me and, oh so seriously, asked, “Did you hear about the big fire they had at K-State yesterday?” Shocked, I replied, “No!” Jan continued, “It destroyed their library – burned both their books.” I’ll never forget my explosion of laughter, not just at the great joke, but that Jan had told it. To me, that side of Jan was just as much a part of him as all the honors he accrued over his career. We love you and will miss you, Jan. Not just for the loss of a world-class aerospace engineer, but for the loss of an amazing friend and colleague.
Fly Dr Roskam, fly through the coulds without limits ! Thanks for all teachings ! R.I.P
What an amazing engineer, but more importantly a teacher and a mentor. He shared his passion for Aviation, and it was infectious. I caught the bug as a sophomore and was totally turned on and pursued a career in aviation. Without his guiding light so many of us would not be where we are today.
Godspeed Jan Roskam
Dr. Roskam was a hard-working professor as well as incredible author and innovator in aircraft design and flight dynamics. He was on my PhD committee and helped me in preparing my dissertation. Just a few months ago, he presented an online webinar on “History of Airplane Design – 2022: Beginning, Rise and Decline of the Wichita, KS Aircraft Industry”. I attended this webinar; at the age of 92, he was still incredible in discussing how the Wichita aircraft industry began and blossomed into Cessna, Beech, Stearman/Boeing, Learjet and Bombardier.
Thank you for all the war stories you told us. I would always brave the snow to come to class early to attend your class.
Please rest in peace.
First of all, my sincerest condolences to the family and friends. As a young engineer, working for the US Navy, I met Dr. Roskam along with by Leland Nicolai at Bergamo center in Ohio for a BERGAMO CENTER in 89 for an aircraft design seminar. It was an almost week long of not just immersive learning but great stories that were shared by Dr. Roskam. I bought all of his book at the seminar and had one hell of an adventure getting them home. The dedication of this incredible man who author all-inclusive and remarkable body of work in aircraft design has benefited me immensely and will now my son and future generations. Thank you for imparting your knowledge and wisdom upon us.
As a pilot I attended one of Dr. Jan Roskam’s sessions on Aircraft Aerodynamics and Performance. It was a part of a day long safety meeting sponsored by the FAA. Before Dr. Roskam’s session started I thought this is going to be boring, but I might as well attend since I’m here. It turned out to be the best presentation of the entire day. Later I took one of his seminars on Automated Flight Controls aimed at engineers. Again it was one of the best presentations I have ever had. Dr. Roskam knew his audience and made the presentation fit their backgrounds. He didn’t leave the topic until he had successfully conveyed the information. He’ll be sadly missed, R.I.P.