Nick Lappos, Lockheed Martin’s Senior Fellow for Rotary and Mission Systems, is the 2022 recipient of Twirly Birds’ Les Morris award. An aerospace engineering graduate of Georgia Tech, Lappos joined Sikorsky Aircraft, now owned by Lockheed Martin, in 1973. He served various roles at Sikorsky through 2005 and again from 2011 to present.
Lappos led development of the S-92 helicopter, which won the Collier Award under his leadership. He also worked on development of the S-76, UH-60 Black Hawk, RAH-66, CH-53E, and other platforms.
The Les Morris award is presented annually by the Twirly Birds in recognition of lifetime achievement in the helicopter industry. An aviation pioneer, Morris was a helicopter test pilot at Sikorsky during the infancy of vertical flight.
Lappos will receive the award at the Twirly Birds annual meeting Tuesday during Heli-Expo. All Twirly Bird members and prospective members who soloed at least 20 years previously are invited to attend the meeting.