User:Bruce12/John Duran

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John A. Duran (born October, 1941, in Los Angeles, California, is a billionaire aerospace inventor, mechanical engineer, businessman, and philanthropist.

Duran is the inventor of more then 50 United States aerospace patents U.S. Patent Office and more then 200 international aerospace patents. These patents do not include those classified as "Secret". Duran co-owned and managed Avibank Manufacturing, an aerospace supplier, his positions included director of engineering before his partial retirement in 2002. He retired after 42 years of service. In 2000 he led the company to a buy-out by SPS Technologies. Duran was also an intricate figure at the Boeing Company in Commercial & Military Aircraft. Duran has also worked with NASA in developing the International Space Station.

To highlight just a few of these patents;

Patent 4,121,444 a unique manual tool used to install blind anchor nuts into thin sheets of material. This was used to install inserts into trucks and cars for rear-view mirrors.

Patent 4,191,236 a unique captive panel fastener that incorporated ratcheting teeth to prevent the faster from disengaging during severe vibration. This design was used on the access panels of fighter aircraft including the F/A18 Hornet.

Patent 4,295,674 a unique latching mechanism which is unique in that it provides a visual indicator when the latch is 100% closed. This design is used on the radome of the F-16, Boeing 757, and 767 aircraft.

Patent 4,723,881 a unique quick-operation panel fastener system that has a high retention force to prevent the retainer clip from coming of. Any fighter jet such as the F-18 Hornet is subjected to tremendous impact loads when the aircraft lands. Consequently many of the access door panels distort to the point that removing them for normal service requires prying the doors open potentially causing more damage and excess repair time for crucial military aircraft. This prying problem would cause the retaining-ring to fall of the fastener and create a FOD (foreign object damage) problem. Duran’s design solved this problem.

Patent 5,007,762 a unique fastening design that was used to couple solar panels on the space station.

Patent 5,399,053 a unique fastener design for the Harrier Fighter Jet.

Patent 5,590,900 a unique fastening system for vehicle airbag assembly, initially (now widely used) used on GM cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette. This was a installing saving design that significantly streamlined airbag installation with no tools required.

Duran had two children John Duran Jr. and Bessie Belle Duran. Bessie Belle Duran died in 1994 from Multiple Sclerosis complications. Her death spurred unprecediented financial support for the Multiple Sclerosis society including making the largest single private donation to date. Duran has two grandchildren; his daughter's only child Austin Ryan Fuentes, and Alisandra Belle Duran (born October 2002, Glendora, California), his son's only child.

Duran is often written about, in various trade magazines and business journals, Most recently a large article in the Glendorian. A local magazine serving the city of Glendora, a city close to Los Angeles. He has also been included in the Hispanic Influence Section of Los Angeles Magazine and as been regarded by many as a pioneering aerospace engineer & inventor.

Both John Duran Jr. & Austin Ryan Fuentes are active in various charities. Austin although sometimes reclusive thru the years is active throughout Hollywood and has been seen in the scene dating several Latin actresses such as Eva Mendes briefly in 2002 and more recently in Ana de la Reguera in 2006 he has never been married and has no children.

On September 24th after nearly 50 years of marriage Mrs. Frankie A. Duran died.

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