Ed Heinemann
Gustave Edward Henry "Ed" Heinemann (born March 14, 1908 in Saginaw , Michigan ; † November 26, 1991 ) was an American aircraft engineer.
Heinemann grew up in Los Angeles , was an autodidact as an engineer and from 1926 as a draftsman at Douglas Aircraft Company . Dismissed after a year, he returned through employment with International Aircraft, which had gone bankrupt in 1933, with Moreland Aircraft, where he designed his first aircraft, the Moreland M1 trainer aircraft, and Northrop returned to Douglas when they took over Northrop. In 1937 he became chief engineer at the El Segundo branch. In 1958 he became Vice President for Military Aircraft Development. He stayed with Douglas until 1960, joining Guidance Technology as Vice President and General Dynamics as Corporate Vice President of Engineering in 1962 . There he oversaw the development of the General Dynamics F-16 (Viper). In 1973 he retired and worked as a consultant.
His designs at Douglas (mostly military aircraft for the US Navy ) include the Douglas SBD Dauntless dive fighter, the Douglas A-20 Havoc and Douglas A-26 Invader bombers , the Douglas A-1 Skyraider, the Douglas A-3 Skywarrior, the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, the Douglas F3D Skyknight night fighter, the Douglas F4D Skyray fighter and the Douglas F5D Skylancer.
He also designed early jet fighter experimental aircraft : Douglas D-558-I Skystreak from 1945, Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket (the first manned aircraft to reach Mach 2),
In 1981 he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame . In 1983 he received the National Medal of Science . In 1953 he received the Collier Trophy for the Douglas F4D.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Heinemann, Ed |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Heinemann, Gustave Edward Henry (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American aircraft engineer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 14, 1908 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Saginaw , Michigan |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 26, 1991 |