Greatest American Aircraft Designers & Engineers?

Rajay · **Posted:** Tue Mar 21, 2017 9:24 am

I have been trying to "brainstorm" a list of the greatest American aircraft designers & engineers of the 20th Century and so far have come up with the list above - and I am interested in what all of you think as well. Please vote for which of them you think are the "best" or most significant. And of course since the format of the polling option here on WIX limits choices to 20 total options, please feel free to "write in" others you come up with on your own by posting replies to this thread.

And I guess that if you have to ask who they are or what they designed then maybe you won't be voting for them!

Note that I already left out several who had less to do with "warbirds" than the ones I did include, among which are:
Clarence Taylor of Taylorcraft
Curtiss Pitts
David Thurston (Lake Aircraft)
Frank Piasecki
Fred Weick
Jim Bede
Joe Sutter of Boeing (chief engineer of the 747)
Percival Spenser (Spenser AirCar and Republic Seabee)
Richard Whitcomb (of NACA re: area ruling supersonic aircraft)

AG pilot · **Joined:** Sat Sep 24, 2011 9:13 am **Posts:** 552

I would have to nominate Leland Snow, for designing the Air Tractor series of aircraft.

He has had a direct impact on nearly everyone on this forum, as most everyone's food has been protected by his aircraft, at some time.

Air Tractor also produces military aircraft, the AT-802U.

Joe Scheil · **Posted:** Tue Mar 21, 2017 10:02 am

Great Post.

A favorite place to point out some of the the best is the Collier Trophy awardees....that is a great place to start.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collier_T ... ialNext-13

Some others...

LLoyd Stearman was integral to the Travel Air name, and worked with Beech and Cessna at the company. Stearman Airplanes are older looking but far prettier. I think the Model 4 was the best biplane of any description.

Kindelberger of NAA was not the engineer or designer, but he was linked with Lee Atwood who was. Atwood ran some projects like P-51, F-100 and X-15 and the Apollo Program. Edgar Schmued was the cited designer of many of those products...but they all were actually designed by a large group of very smart people working for big picture guys.

. There were some great and influential airplanes. The Northrop Alpha, the P-51 Mustang and the 707. There were forward think planes that were better than even we knew when they were built, the SR-71 and B-49 perhaps. But each of the designs was refined and sharpened toward profitability and utility by thousands of folks who each added a little bit of push. From designers and engineers, shop floor managers and maintenence guys to test pilots and line pilots, it takes a village...

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11319

Was Whitcomb an aircraft designer, or an aerodynamicist?

And don't forget, none of these designs were done in a vacuum. Donald Douglas had Jack Northrop working for him, etc.

Tiger Tim · **Posted:** Tue Mar 21, 2017 5:40 pm

Piper was an investor and not an engineer, was he not?

JohnB · **Posted:** Tue Mar 21, 2017 6:23 pm

As far as I know, William Piper was not an engineer.

Also, I'm not sure about Bill Boeing. He may have had some idea input in the B&W, but again, he was an idea and money man, not an engineer. Last week I re-read Bower's Boeing Aircraft Since 1916 to research this very point.
If I'm wrong, I'd like to know.

For general aviation types, mention must be made of Fred Weick, Lockheed's Jim Thorpe, The Mooney brothers...Al also worked for Lockheed and worked on the JetStar and C-130, Ted Smith of Aero Commander/Jet Commander/Aerostar fame.

Also Arthur Young...designer of the Bell 47 and the basic rotor system of what was used in the AH/UH-1s.

Also Charles Kaman...of HOK/HTK and H-43 fame.

I'd also question why you list Frank Paisecki as a "non-warbird" guy.
Aside from the few civil V-44s and BV-107 (after he left the company) ALL Paisecki helicopters were military.
HUP/H-25
HRP (early fabric covered H-21-like tandem rotor)
H-21/V-44
All of which laid the groundwork for the CH-46s and CH-47 Chinooks.
If those aren't warbirds, I'm not sure what is...

Pogo · **Posted:** Tue Mar 21, 2017 8:12 pm

JohnB wrote:

I'd also question why you list Frank Paisecki as a "non-warbird" guy...If those aren't warbirds, I'm not sure what is...

^^^ What he said.

Rajay · **Posted:** Tue Mar 21, 2017 8:47 pm

I did have Ted Smith in the original list and also did mention Fred Weick in the alternates list. Didn't mean to slight Piasecki in any way (I did not say "non-warbird" guy; I said "less so" but as you pointed out even that may not be accurate, so I stand corrected.

In any case, also please remember as I said initially, the forum format for polling limits the choices (options) to only 20 so I had to par down the bigger list I had before even starting. I went for the biggest and most well-known names I could think of - and so far I am pleased with the results which seem to be matching my expectations and personal choices with Kelly Johnson in the lead, closely followed by Ed Heinemann and Jack Northrop.

As for "warbirds" or not, I don't tend to think of Burt Rutan that way primarily speaking but didn't think that I could leave him off the list. Same with Clyde Cessna and Duane Wallace (also of Cessna.) I assume just like many others "here", I bought a copy of Walt Shiel's fantastic book "Cessna Warbirds" but nobody thinks of them as "primarily" a warbird builder. It was all just a starting point and I am elated that people have chimed in and voiced their own opinions. Just please don't take it personally if I didn't think of all the same people that you did!

And as to whether or not someone was literally an engineer or designer, or rather a money man, manager, administrator, etc. like Joe Shiel said, it takes a village to build an airplane and I'm sure that they all did their parts. Also like Joe said, the Collier Trophy winners are a good place to start - and Richard Whitcomb won the Collier Trophy regardless of whether he was an "engineer" or an "aerodynamicist" - I have rule that that is a bit too much in terms of hair splitting. But you're welcome to disagree!

(And Joe! Would you happen to be related to Walt Shiel too?)

Nathan · **Posted:** Wed Mar 22, 2017 1:16 am

Pogo wrote:

JohnB wrote:

I'd also question why you list Frank Paisecki as a "non-warbird" guy...If those aren't warbirds, I'm not sure what is...

^^^ What he said.

+2 being my house full of Piasecki parts! :drink3:

Frank Piasecki was a colorful character who thought outside the box. IMHO one of the best helicopter designers.

Cubs2jets · **Joined:** Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:12 am **Posts:** 310

Tiger Tim wrote:

Piper was an investor and not an engineer, was he not?

William T. Piper was a businessman who originally partnered with C.G. Taylor in 1930 and transformed the "Taylor Brothers Aircraft company" into the Taylor Aircraft Company. They produced a series of designs that led to production of the Taylor E-2 and J-2 Cubs. About 1936, Taylor - after an design disagreement with Piper - left the company to start his own company.

Taylor was the principle designer of the Taylor E-2, J2 aircraft. Starting with the Piper model J3 and then subsequint J4, 5, etc.; the principle designer was Walter Jamouneau.

Fred Wiek was the progenitor of the Cherokee series of aircraft that continue in production today.

C2j

JohnB · **Posted:** Wed Mar 22, 2017 8:37 am

Glad to see other people recall the contributions of general aviation designers....I'm sure many haven't been named, especially the between the years builders...Ted Wells who designed both the Staggerwing and Twin Beech...two huge classics, Ryan, Laird, Stinson, Loening, Williams, Stout, the "GeeBee" brothers, Timm....and all the others remembered today by their eponymous usually short-lived firms.

One more military designer...
James McDonnell...

jdankos · **Joined:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:29 am **Posts:** 40

Edgar O. (Ed) Schmued

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11319

Rajay wrote:

...and Richard Whitcomb won the Collier Trophy regardless of whether he was an "engineer" or an "aerodynamicist" - I have rule that that is a bit too much in terms of hair splitting. But you're welcome to disagree!

Whitcomb is clearly an engineer, but not an aircraft "designer." He designs airfoils, aerodynamic details and develops theories/concepts. Normally, the result is a technical paper. These are then incorporated into various aircraft where he may have no further design input, though he might be consulted on various aspects.

The aircraft "designer" in my opinion is really an integrator. The designer takes requirements and gathers the needed talents together. The designer then makes crucial decisions with respect to aircraft configuration and performance. The designer evaluates the tradeoffs between different design concepts and makes selections between them. Inline or radial engine? Tricycle or tailwheel landing gear? Fixed or retractable undercarriage? Wood or metal construction? Short and stubby wings or long and thin wings? Plain flaps, split flaps, slotted flaps or Fowler flaps? T-Tail, conventional or V-Tail?

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11319

My vote, but then again I am a Douglas guy!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Heinemann

SBD Dauntless dive bomber
A-20 Havoc light bomber/attack aircraft
A-26 Invader light bomber/attack aircraft
A-1 Skyraider attack aircraft
A-3 Skywarrior bomber
A-4 Skyhawk light bomber
F3D Skyknight night fighter
F4D Skyray carrier-based fighter aircraft
Douglas Skystreak and Douglas Skyrocket research aircraft

1953: Collier Trophy (for the F4D Skyray)
1978: Guggenheim Medal
1981: National Aviation Hall of Fame
1983: National Medal of Science

The Naval Air Systems Command awards the "Edward H. Heinemann Award" annually to the individual or group that makes a significant contribution to aircraft design.

JohnB · **Posted:** Wed Mar 22, 2017 3:45 pm

Coincidentally, I just purchased a copy of Heinemann's book.
I'm looking forward to reading it. IIRC when published it received excellent reviews and being published by the Naval Institute Press, it won't be some silly picture book.

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