Introducing one of our founding members, Adam Morrison. Adam is a leading strategy and technical consultant serving both manned and unmanned aircraft markets. Since 2002, his company, Streamline Designs, has been helping organizations strategically navigate the complex regulatory landscape to get their aviation products and operations approved and in the market much faster.

Through a unique mix of systems thinking, technology, certification expertise, and attention to detail, he helps aircraft companies and operators build and launch their new products and services. Adam is an industry leader in standards-based aircraft certification of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Urban Air Mobility (UAM), Light Sport Aircraft (LSA), and General Aviation (GA). He is well known for enduring leadership in developing creative solutions to aircraft design and certification challenges of all types.

Angela’s background is firmly rooted in science, discovery and problem-solving. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Astrophysics from Cardiff University in the UK followed by her first Masters degree in Innovative Manufacturing from Cranfield University, also in the UK.

Angela’s first graduate role was with Rolls-Royce Aerospace. Having a somewhat unconventional entry into the engineering field, Angela undertook a 2-year rotational program, taking on high-visibility projects across Rolls-Royce’s functions and global sites. It was during this time where she gained a passion for the increasingly strategic nature of technical supply chain management.

Following this program, Angela relocated with Rolls-Royce to the USA where she undertook a series of progressively senior roles. These included managing machine selection, layout and acquisition for a brand new manufacturing facility and designing and implementing a dual source supply chain for Rolls-Royce’s largest ever engine program, the Trent XWB.

Having completed a further two Masters degrees in Business Administration and Global Supply Chain Management from Indiana University, she then accepted a position with Parker Hannifin’s largest division, Aerospace Control Systems, as their divisional Supplier Development Manager. Here, she managed a team of engineers to technically develop and optimize a $400 million global supply chain. Angela has been the recipient of many awards over her career, including 2013 Rolls-Royce North America Woman of the Year and full academic scholarships for her undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Angela believes that the largest silent profit inhibitor that most companies are facing today is the disconnect between engineering/product design and supply chain management functions. She lists developing country sourcing and numerical supplier risk management as her key strengths. The primary goal of KickStage Consulting is to devise sustainable, optimized sourcing strategies that are born around your product and company strategy.

Meet one of our founding members, Zacheriah Cole. Zac has had a passion for hands-on engineering and problem solving since his childhood days of building RC toys from bits of old dismantled toys and rebuilding engines for his family.

He received his Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and then embarked on an 18-year career with Rolls-Royce Aerospace that involved a series of high-profile projects including turbine design and development, flight testing, and manufacturing research and development. He spent a four-year assignment in Japan as the Rolls-Royce flight test engineer for the US-2 large search and rescue amphibious aircraft program. 

Upon return, Zac began a series of assignments managing start-up technologies within Rolls-Royce manufacturing, working to mature and industrialize these technologies for full-rate production. It was during this time where Zac honed his manufacturing capabilities.

Zac uses data-driven decision-making to improve technical project performance and drive robust business and product choices. His key strengths include numerical analyses/statistics, simulation, and Lean implementation, and his passion is open-ocean sailing.

Meet our newest member, Kris Dobelstein. Kris joined us in early 2019, shoring up the electronics and embedded systems development for LiftWorks. Kris joining the team immediately stepped up LiftWorks’ pace of progress by leaps and bounds.

Kris has applied his electrical engineering, project management skills, and enthusiasm for awesome innovations in hardware over the last 15 years to create many notable products and systems that are presently in wide use in general aviation.

Over the last decade he has radically changed the way he and his teams envision, develop, release, and support hardware by incorporating Agile principles and strategies into production creation.

He continually looks for ways to evolve his project management approaches to optimize the creation of products that customers love while keeping development efforts sustainable and enjoyable. He is a Pacific Northwest native and lives, works, and plays in Portland, Oregon with his family.

Fellow LiftWorks founders Adam Morrison (left) and Zacheriah Cole (right)

A year ago this month LiftWorks was toiling away to produce its first publicly presented fully integrated hybrid power plant for large industrial sUAS after two years of research and development. Preparations were being made to show support for customer, Aerotronic, for their Demo Day at TechStars in Detroit.

Dauntless & PowerBlock Model LW3 Side by Side

This was the first time to gain public feedback on the look and feel of the final product, packaging together the various technologies comprising the hybrid power plant christened the PowerBlock Model LW3, and it was unanimously very well received.

Now with final product development testing wrapping up, LiftWorks and Aerotronic expect to begin flight testing later this year and begin the long-endurance operations of the hybrid version of Aerotronic’s Dauntless All-weather single-rotor UAV.

The PowerBlock Model LW3 is a 3kW system comprised of a piston engine, generator, batteries, and a hybrid power management control system built by LiftWorks, facilitating easy conversion of electric-powered sUAS to increase endurance from less than an hour to several hours depending on mission profiles.

PowerBlock Model LW3

About LiftWorks, Inc.

LiftWorks is a provider of custom propulsion systems for sUAS specializing in hybrid power for drones such as quadcopters, helicopters, and fixed wing aircraft founded in 2015 with operations in California, Oregon, and Indiana.

Lift.Works is proud to be an exhibitor at the 2019 Miramar Airshow, taking place at MCAS Miramar on September 27th - 29th 2019.

We will be showcasing our latest innovation - The PowerBlock Model LW3 hybrid power unit system, adaptable to a wide range of single-rotor, multi-rotor and fixed-wing UAV applications, which unlocks unparalleled range and application for industrial drones.

Our booth is located near the Drone Dome flying cage at the AUVSI exhibitors area. We'd love to see you there! Please reach out to Zacheriah.Cole@Lift.Works and let us know if we'll see you!

2019 Miramar Airshow

About LiftWorks

LiftWorks is a provider of custom propulsion systems for sUAS specializing in hybrid power for drones such as quadcopters, helicopters, and fixed wing aircraft founded in 2015 with operations in California, Oregon, and Indiana.