Geoffrey Hedrick, formerly of Malvern, has died at age 79. Hedrick was an avionics innovator and entrepreneur who ran companies in Exton, Malvern, and West Chester, and his business entities improved airplane safety and efficiency. Gary Miles reported the loss for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Hedrick was a longtime award-winning engineer who founded and served as the chairman and CEO of Innovative Solutions & Support. He owned close to 100 patents on avionic innovations.

He founded the company in Exton in 1988, and it soon became a leader in designing and producing flight guidance and airplane cockpit display systems.

“Anyone who has flown on a commercial airliner is likely to have benefited from one of Geoff’s innovations,” said one of Hedrick’s colleagues.

His latest innovation — the ThrustSense autothrottle — prevented small planes from flipping over in case of engine failure on takeoff. Its development won the 2021 Editor’s Choice Award from Flying magazine, which referred to it as “a remarkable improvement.”

“We will miss the creativity, keen intellect, and leadership Geoff has shown over the past several decades,” said Glen R. Bressner, vice chairman of the company’s board of directors.

Read more about Geoffrey Hedrick in The Philadelphia Inquirer.