WASHINGTON, D.C., April 4, 2012 -- Paul Ryan was presented with the 2012 AEA Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the Aircraft Electronics Association's board of directors, during the Official Opening of the 55th annual AEA International Convention & Trade Show on April 4 at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
In 1957, he established Dytronics Co. Inc., and a number of products were designed and sold to companies engaged in the new aerospace efforts. By making null adjustments to simultaneously solve a couple of simple electrical equations, he realized that precise phase angles could be synthesized with remarkable precision. The resulting primary phase angle standard was quickly recognized, accepted and adopted by the metrology laboratories of all branches of the military, NATO nations and major aerospace contractors.
In addition, while piloting a single-engine airplane traveling to serve customer needs, Ryan had a shocking experience with the encounter of a thunderstorm. With a strong desire to help pilots avoid the dangers of thunderstorms, he worked on a solution. The resulting product was the Ryan Stormscope. The highly successful product generated a 360-degree map around the aircraft for pilot viewing of lightning activity. It was sold to the 3M Co. in 1981. Currently, it is owned and marketed by L-3 Avionics Systems, and more than 50,000 Stormscope units are flying today.
Following the sale of Stormscope, Ryan founded Ryan International Corp., a long-time member of the AEA. Under his direction, Ryan International developed world-class traffic advisory system products, triumphing over the challenges with uncommon creativity. In 2005, Ryan International Corp. merged with Avidyne Inc. The combined companies brought together avionics visionaries and extended Avidyne's capabilities and market reach.
Ryan attended Ohio State University, earned a degree in electrical engineering and continued advanced studies in physics. Throughout the years, Ryan has been recognized with a number of awards, including the 2010 Benjamin G. Lamme Medalist award, presented by the college of engineering at Ohio State University, the highest engineering award for meritorious achievement in advancing engineering.
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Founded in 1957, the Aircraft Electronics Association represents nearly 1,300 member companies in more than 40 countries, including approved maintenance organizations specializing in maintenance, repair and installation of aircraft electronics systems in general aviation aircraft. The AEA membership also includes manufacturers of aircraft electronics equipment, instrument repair facilities, instrument manufacturers, airframe manufacturers, test equipment manufacturers, major distributors, engineers and educational institutions.