The original three books were published before the computer age revolutionized the book publishing industry, and none of the original text, drawings or photos were available electronically. In some cases, the original photos were no longer available, even from Ray's private collection, so other comparable photos were obtained from Ray.
Ray wrote these articles over a large time span, so in some cases, certain subjects were hit more than once. Rather than to try and cut anything out, we elected to include everything in the three books, even when it was said more than once. Likewise, a few of the figures and photos repeat, but we think that you'll agree that the need to preserve the totality of what Ray has written should come first.
Jack G. Real, in the Foreward to More Helicopter Aerodynamics, elaborates. "Ray's knowledge comes from 'working the traps' on advanced helicopter programs for nearly 30 years. Ray and I worked on the Cheyenne, Advanced Aerial Fire Support Systems (AAFSS) - the U.S. Army's first try at a dedicated armed combat helicopter - at Lockheed in the 1960s. I think this experience taught Ray all about 'l /2 P hop' and a lot about controls systems for rigid rotors. For reasons unclear to me, the rigid rotor system is now called a hingeless rotorbut a rose by any other name is still a rose."
Ray's career began in 1952, when, according to David Jenson of Rotor& Wing, "he put his Bachelors degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Washington to application at Hughes Tool Co.'s Aircraft Division. He worked as a helicopter aerodynamicist at Hughes until 1954, when he moved his talents to Sikorsky Aircraft until 1956. Between 1958 and 1960, Ray was a stability and control specialist at Bell Helicopter, and then group engineer for helicopter aerodynamics at Lockheed Aircraft from 1960 to 1973. From 1973 until his retirement in 1987, Ray was back at Hughes Helicopters (McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Co.)."
Real picks up the story again. "Ray joined Hughes Helicopter Co. in 1973 and became Chief of Stability and Control. As such, he was responsible for the flying qualities of the U.S. Army's Apache helicopter from its early days until its final qualification. Ray in no small measure helped Hughes provide the U.S. Army with the most advanced anti-armor helicopter to enter its service."
Well-known helicopter test pilot and author Shawn Coyle (Art & Science of Flying Helicopters and Cyclic & Collective. More Art and Science of Flying Helicopters) was the initial driving force behind the effort to resurrect Prouty's works, and contributed his knowledge and keen eye in proof- reading. The result is a very readable, hefty 500-page work, jam-packed with extraordinary insights into helicopter aerodynamics, design, and handling.