Arthur M. Young

Arthur Middleton Young (November 3, 1905 – May 30, 1995) was an American inventor, helicopter pioneer, philosopher, astrologer, and author. Young was the designer of Bell Helicopter's first helicopter, the Model 30, and inventor of the stabilizer bar used on many of Bell's early helicopter designs. He founded the Institute for the Study of Consciousness in Berkeley in 1972. Young advocated process philosophy, an attempt to integrate the realm of human thought and experience with the realm of science so that the concept of the universe is not limited to that which can be physically measured. Young's theory embraces evolution and the concept of the great chain of being. He has influenced such thinkers as Stanislav Grof and Laban Coblentz. After graduating from Princeton University in 1927, Young spent twelve years developing the helicopter into a useful device. In 1941, he took his findings to Bell Aircraft Company, leading to the development of the Model 30 and the first commercial helicopter, the Bell Model 47. Disturbed by nuclear weapons, he shifted his focus to philosophy, exploring consciousness and reality. He was married twice, first to Priscilla Page, and later to Ruth Forbes Young.