Hedrick, IS&S Founder who Amassed 100 Patents, Dies
Geoffrey S. M. Hedrick, who founded Innovative Solutions & Support in 1988 and remained chairman and CEO, has died.

Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) founder, chairman, and CEO Geoffrey S.M. Hedrick has died from complications involving a sudden illness, the company announced yesterday. “We extend our deepest sympathies to Mr. Hedrick’s wife, daughter, and loved ones. We will miss the creativity, keen intellect, and leadership Geoff has shown over the past several decades,” said IS&S vice-chair Glen Bressner.


Hedrick founded IS&S in 1988 after nearly two decades in the avionics industry. After studying to become an electrical engineer at Cornell, he briefly worked at the aviation instrument subsidiary of Bulova, according to the company. In 1971, he founded Harowe Systems as a joint venture with an aerospace hardware organization, and by 1978 that company had grown to the point that it was acquired by Smiths Industries. Hedrick continued to steer Harowe under its new ownership and eventually was named president and CEO of Smiths Industries North American Aerospace Companies.


A decade after that sale, he established Exton, Pennsylvania-based IS&S, initially developing a digital fuel quantity indicating systems. Since then, the company has branched into numerous aircraft systems surrounding flight guidance and displays for general aviation, commercial, and military aircraft. Recently, IS&S has been gaining approvals for a number of applications for its ThrustSense autothrottle.


Over the years, Hedrick amassed nearly 100 patents in the electronics, optoelectric, electromagnetic, aerospace, and contamination-control fields.