Elrey B. Jeppesen
Elrey Borge Jeppesen (born January 28, 1907 , † November 26, 1996 in Colorado , USA ) was an American aviation pioneer . He previously made his flight license with Orville Wright , one of the well-known Wright brothers .
Life
Through his work as a postal pilot for Varney Airlines and later with "Boeing Air Transport" (now United Airlines ), during the Great Depression saw Jeppesen that the date for navigation in aircraft usual road maps and railway lines to route finding were not sufficient. In the winter of 1930/1931 he drew maps with landmarks visible from the air, in which he also noted information about individual runways. In his spare time, he climbed hills and water towers to determine their height with an altimeter and to write it down on the maps.
In the late 1930s, United Airlines printed its own cards. However, more and more pilots were making use of Jeppesen's maps, which he had originally only created for his own use. United Airlines then introduced Jeppesen's cards as standard material. Jeppesen founded a company in Denver to develop and sell the cards. During the Second World War , the cards were used by the US Army and subsequently adopted by many civilian airlines.
Appreciation
The terminal at Denver Airport is named after Jeppesen.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Jeppesen, Elrey B. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Jeppesen, Elrey Borge |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American aviation pioneer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 28, 1907 |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 26, 1996 |
| Place of death | Colorado , USA |