GHETZLER AERO-POWER SELECTED TO RECEIVE $250,000 TECHNOLOGY GRANT

BUFFALO GROVE, ILL., -- OCT. 22, 2002 -- Illinois Governor George Ryan has announced that Ghetzler Aero-Power Corporation of Buffalo Grove, Illinois is one of 13 companies or universities selected to receive a Technology Challenge Grant for FY 2002.

Administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DECCA), Technology Challenge Grants are designed to help foster technology growth in the state of Illinois. Winners range from fields as diverse as aeronautics, medicine, energy and interactivity. Ghetzler Aero-Power Corp. received a grant of $250,000. The total funding for the FY 2002 program was $3.1 million.

“Thanks to this visionary program started by Governor Ryan three years ago, the state of Illinois is helping to retain and develop key technical talent to help grow an international market for our products,” said Dr. Richard Ghetzler, President and CEO of Ghetzler Aero-Power.

Ghetzler’s invention provides a superior alternative to present auxiliary and emergency electrical power on military and commercial aircraft.

Ghetzler said the initial work supported by the grant involves development of a ground testable, scaled-up version of their present prototype of their “Advanced Low Drag Ram Air Turbine” invention for potential applications to the Navy’s EA-6B AN/ALQ-99 radar jamming pod and Boeing’s potential EA-18 G follow on program.

Additional related commercial projects could involve application as an emergency power source for business jets. “The new invention (U.S. Patent # 6,270,309 B1) is designed to have low drag in subsonic thru supersonic operating flight regimes when carried externally in pods for military applications. However, Ghetzler is also looking at applications where the system could be mounted inboard, with an air inlet scoop which opens, this providing no drag penalties until needed.

Ghetzler also said there are other potential applications, which include possible use on Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk and Boeing’s X-45 UCAV for auxiliary and/or emergency power.

Attempts to obtain additional electric power from the present commercial turbo fan engines on these aircraft result in reducing their efficiency and increasing the fuel consumption since the most power is used for the fan and compressor. Ghetzler Aero-Power may offer a much less expensive technology for increasing onboard electric power.

“Our systems can be positioned on the aircraft remotely from the engines, draw energy from the air stream while not adversely affecting the engine’s performance,” said Ghetzler. The development of new engines to accommodate greater electric power levels may be a much more expensive approach for the Department of Defense.