Born: Germany
Primarily active in: Germany

German design engineer Gunther Reichert was a professor and chief of the Institute for Flugmechanik, Technical University of Braunschweig. Reichert was an important leader of the German rotorcraft industry.  Together with Kurt Pfleiderer and Emil Weiland at Messerschmidt - Bolkow-Blohm (MBB), he fathered the design and development of the bearingless main rotor.  He began his career as a scientific engineer at the German Society for the Study of Helicopters.  From 1958 until 1983, he served at MBB rising to the position of Chief of Rotary Wing Technology and Vehicle Design.  In 1983, he joined the Technical University at Braunschweig as a professor where he later became chief of aeronautics.  During this time, he also served as an advisory board member to Eurocopter Deutschland and supported industry and academic collaboration in the pursuit of advanced helicopter studies.  He was a familiar figure at international rotorcraft conferences.  At the time of his death, he was acting as Chairman of the 23rd European Rotorcraft Forum to be held in Dresden in September 1997.

Mr. Reichert died in March 1997 at the age of 65 following a brief illness.

AHS Update:  Vertiflite March/April 1997