John T. Parsons (October 11, 1913 – April 18, 2007) pioneered numerical control (NC) for machine tools in the 1940s. These developments were done in collaboration with his Chief Engineer and Vice President of Engineering, Frank L. Stulen, who Parsons hired when he was head of the Rotary Wing Branch of the Propeller Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in April 1946. Together, they were the first to use computer methods to solve machining problems, in particular, the accurate interpolation of the curves describing helicopter rotor blades. In 1946, "computer" still meant a punched-card operated calculation machine. In 1948, Parsons' company, "Parsons Corporation" of Traverse City, Michigan, was awarded a contract to make the challenging tapered wings for military aircraft; they won the co