FXB Building

Francois-Xavier Bagnoud and his helicopter, photo courtesy: FXB.org

A Legacy that is Set in Stone

by Niko Bogoevich

By his mid-twenties, University of MIchigan alumnus Francois-Xavier Bagnoud had formed an alpine rescue company, saved countless lives and written the textbook helicopter pilots still rely on to this day. Sadly, on January 14, 1986 at the age of 24, Bagnoud was killed in a helicopter accident in Mali, West Africa during a rescue flight (“FXB Building”, n.d.).

Praised for his generosity, compassion, and selflessness that guided his life and irecognized for his impact in the aerospace industry (“FXB Building”, n.d.), Bagnoud wanted to accomplish things for the betterment of humanity through the advancement of technology. The University of Michigan dedicated the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud building, better known as the FXB, to uphold the same values and offer an environment for students to excel in aerospace education.

Bagnoud had a burning passion for aviation; he received his pilot's license by the time he graduated high school (“François-Xavier Bagnoud Prize”). Following high school, Francois-Xavier enrolled at the University of Michigan. He was exceptionally dedicated to his studies and graduated with honors after only three years with a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering. Following his selfless ambition, Francois joined Air Glacier after college, a private Alpine rescue company. He was the youngest professional Instrument Flight Related pilot for both planes and helicopters, and successfully flew over 300 rescue missions in both the Alps and Paris (“François-Xavier Bagnoud Prize”). He wrote the book Helicopter Theory for Private Pilots, which had an enormous impact on the aviation industry. Forty years after being written, it is still taught widely across European flight trainees (“François-Xavier Bagnoud Prize”).

Francois-Xavier flying in his helicopter, Photo courtesy: aero.engin.umich.edu

FXB Building, Photo courtesy: flickr.com

The FXB was built on North Campus for the department of aerospace engineering in 1993 (“FXB Center for Rotary”, n.d.). The building contains classrooms, research laboratories, and student learning centers. The building cost a total of $14 million, five million of which was donated by the FXB Foundation (“FXB Center for Rotary”, n.d.), the other nine million unded by the state and generous donors.

The research being done in the FXB is groundbreaking, working to shape these fields in an effort to carry on Bagnoud's legacy of advancing humanity through aerospace and autonomy.

“Michigan Aerospace will inevitably play a big role in autonomy, high-speed vehicles and commercial space, which will shape the future of aerospace,” according to Richard A. Ahull, the department chair of the Aerospace Department (Wass, n.d.).

Professor Ella Atkins and her team are currently working on autonomous drones that are used in dangerous situations, like wildfires. Current staff and students are currently trying to help and improve the safety of emergency response workers such as firefighters (“The Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Building”, 0:46). The FXB building is a center to help students and faculty reach their innovative goals while creating a safe environment for students to learn and make connections with other students (Ebenhoeh, 2017). The FXB building provides technology and research facilities in order for these life changing projects to be created. There are numerous ways in which the FXB building has given people the opportunity to change the aerospace industry just like Bagnoud, and provide the resources to have an amazing program that values the education of students.

According to sheKnows.com, Francois means “free man” and Xavier "bright." Francois-Xavier lives up to the meaning of his name. All of his accomplishments throughout his lifetime have portrayed Francois-Xavier as a bright individual and as a free-spirited man through his selflessness, generosity, and passion for improving the lives of others. The FXB building is a memorial, and an asset to young aerospace engineers, like Bagnoud once was, and will continue to carry on his legacy and provide people with the resources to carry on his vision.

Work Cited

Ebenhoeh, Bradley. “Op-Ed: Experiencing Campus in a Different Way.” The Michigan Daily, 16 Feb. 2017, https://www.michigandaily.com/viewpoints/op-ed-1/.
“FXB Building.” Michigan Aerospace Engineering, https://aero.engin.umich.edu/about/fxb-building/.
FXB Center for Rotary & Fixed Wing Air Vehicle Design, https://fxb-crfwad.engin.umich.edu/background/.
“The Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Building.” YouTube, uploaded by Michigan Engineering, 14 May 2019, https://youtu.be/-yUgXbldpEc.
“The Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Prize.” Aerospace America, vol. 31, no. 3, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc, pp. B9-.
Waas, Tony. “Chair's Message.” Michigan Aerospace Engineering, https://aero.engin.umich.edu/about/chairs-message/.
“Xavier.” SheKnows, 22 Aug. 2018, https://www.sheknows.com/baby-names/name/xavier/.

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