Helix Rotorcraft is assembling a founding team of aerospace engineers and manufacturing experts who have spent careers building the exact capabilities this program requires.
Conceived and is developing the Apex Series quad tilt-rotor UAS architecture. Responsible for program direction, defense market strategy, investor relations, and FAA certification planning. Leading the DARPA Lift Challenge effort with the Apex Micro demonstrator.
President & Chief Engineer of Mace Aviation — an advanced aerospace manufacturer with decades of experience in CFRP composite structures, FEA, and vertically integrated manufacturing. Mace Aviation's clients include L3Harris (19 years), and their portfolio spans MD500 nose mounts, Black Hawk structures, weapons wings, and targeting pod housings. Ryan brings the manufacturing capability that makes the Apex Series buildable.
Helix Rotorcraft is building the founding engineering team for the Apex Series prototype program. We are looking for aerospace engineers who want to own a piece of what they build — equity compensation is a core part of every offer at this stage.
Get in TouchMace Aviation is the proposed exclusive composite manufacturing partner for the Apex Series. Based in Mesa, Arizona, Mace Aviation brings CATIA V5, FEA/NASTRAN, climate-controlled composite fabrication, and a 19-year relationship with L3Harris. Their vertically integrated model — from initial design through final assembly — is exactly the manufacturing workflow the Apex Series requires.
The partnership is structured as a co-founder equity relationship, not a vendor contract. Mace Aviation's contribution to the program — rotor blade design, tooling investment, composite structure manufacturing — is reflected in a founding equity stake, aligning incentives from day one.