Douglas C. Shidler

Douglas C. Shidler is Vice President, BLACK HAWK Programs at Sikorsky Aircraft, a position that he has held since 2002. He is responsible for all domestic and international ongoing Army and Air Force programs, including the upgrade version of the BLACK HAWK. Mr. Shidler led a successful development program that culminated in a commitment by the U.S. Army to procure over 1,200 new UH-60M BLACK HAWKs over the next 15 to 20 years. Annual BLACK HAWK production is expected to increase to levels up to 100 aircraft per year by 2008, representing revenues of approximately $1 billion per year for Sikorsky. Mr. Shidler has been with Sikorsky Aircraft for 22 years and joined them immediately after graduating from the University of Connecticut School of Engineering. In addition to his work at Sikorsky, Mr. Shidler is a co-founder and mentor for the Cheshire High School FIRST Robotics program. The program is developed to encourage high school students to pursue a technical field, as well as to learn to design and develop in a team environment.