Kenneth Gene Wernicke

Kenneth was born on October 12, 1932 to Albert Frank Wernicke and Margaret Pritchard McGrew Wernicke. He was the older of identical twins.

He married Mary Louise Houston on June 8, 1954. After she passed away, he married Martha Dean on May 15, 1976.

He received a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Kansas in 1955. He was an aeronautical engineer at Bell Helicopter from 1955 to 1990. Briefly, in 1962 he worked for Bell Aerosystems, as aircushion vehicle technical director. Much of his career was devoted to tilt-rotor development. He was Chief Project Engineer on the XV-15, whose show stopping performance in the Paris Air Show in 1981 helped lead to the contract for the development of the V-22 Osprey. On this Bell-Boeing project, he served as Director of Developmental Engineering and Consulting Engineer.

He formed two companies after his retirement from Bell Helicopter. In the first, Sky Technology, he worked on his life-long dream of every family having a flying vehicle in their garage. He did concept development on the Aircar. The design was chosen as a “Discover Technology Award” finalist in 1994. A full-scale mockup of the vehicle was displayed at Epcot Center. He also developed some tail-sitting UAVs, one of which made test flights under government contract.

The second company, Fast Track Amphibian, formed with other family members, developed the first tracked vehicle that could get up on the plane from a standing start in the water using track propulsion. The Fast Track Amphibian was displayed and demonstrated twice on the East Coast at Multi-Agency Craft Conferences held by the American Society of Naval Engineers. It was displayed on the West Coast at a Wired Magazine Technology exhibition and made an exhibition lap at the I-500 snowmobile race in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It was awarded a research contract from the Navy and went viral on YouTube.

Kenneth’s love for engineering did not start or stop at the office. His children didn’t know home garages were for cars, since he was always building something in his.

Beginning as a child building rubber-powered model airplanes, to his adult projects: the “Flying Surfboard” a towline glider operated over water and pulled by an outboard motor boat, the “Kiddie Cushion” a child sized aircushion vehicle operated by his older daughter and two different aircushion boats.

He was preceded in death by his parents Albert and Margaret Wernicke, his wives Mary and Martha Wernicke, his sister Lora Lee Peters.

He is survived by: his twin brother, Rodney Wernicke, his daughters, Fonda Fox and Natalie Aldridge, his son Keith Wernicke and his wife Nian, a stepdaughter and stepson. His grandchildren are: Julia Turnbow, Sylvia Dale, Krinda Wernicke, Keagan Wernicke, Dalunie Pomma. He has 7 great grandchildren and one great-great granddaughter and a host of nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, donations could be made to:

The First Church of Christ Scientist, North Richland Hills

https://cedarscamps.org/donate/

https://isupport.principia.edu/campaigns/solar-car-1#/