Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter.
Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
OCR for page 62
OCR for page 63
EDWARD H.
HEINEMANN
1 908-1 991
WRITTEN BY D ONALD D OUGLAS, JR., AND HARRY GANN
SUBMITTED BY THE NAE HOME SECRETARY
THE DISTINGUISHED CAREER of Edward H. Heinemann has
provided significant and lasting contributions to the advance-
ment of aircraft and associated equipment design. A high school
graduate who became a self-taught engineer, Mr. Heinemann
started with the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1926. In 1927, at
the age of nineteen, he became the chief draftsman for the
International Aircraft Company. In 1928 hejoined the Moreland
Aircraft Company as the assistant chief engineer, later advancing
to the position of chief engineer. In September 1930, he moved
to the Northrop Aviation Corporation of Burbank, California.
When a new Northrop Corporation was formed in 1932, which
was a part of the Douglas Aircraft Company holdings, he became
affiliated with that organization, rising to the position of chief
engineer in 1936 at the age of twenty-seven. In 195X he was
appointed vice-president, military aircraft engineering. He left
the Douglas organization in 1960 to become executive vice-
president of Guidance Technology, Inc. In 1962 he joined
General Dynamics as corporate vice-presiclent of engineering,
retiring from that position in 1973.
More than 20,000 aircraft have been built from Edward
Heinemann's designs. He designed the first carrier-based air-
craft (the F4D Skyray) to set the world's absolute speed record,
for which he received the prestigious Robert I. Collier Trophy
in 1954. His D-558-II Skyrocket was the first aircraft to exceed
63
OCR for page 64
64
MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound. This line of aircraft was
especially cost-effective in the research programs that contrite
uted to the progress of technology after Worm War II, pushing
aircraft through the so-called sound barrier.
He is especially well known for his line of attack aircraft,
beginning with the legendary SBD Dauntless. This dive bomber
sank more enemy tonnage in the war in the Pacific than any
other weapon and was exceptionally effective at the Battle of
Midway, where four aircraft carriers were sent to the bottom of
the ocean, thus blunting the eastern drive of the Japanese. The
AD Skyraiclers, the A3D Skywarriers, and the diminutive A4D
Skyhawk were the first-line equipment in the U.S. Navy and
Marine Corps for forty-five years exemplary of Edward
Heinemann's intuition of future requirements and his ability to
design aircraft to meet these requirements. For example Mr.
Heinemann anticipated that the Skywarrier, a carry-based heavy
attack bomber, wouicl need to work off a smaller aircraft carrier
than was originally intended, and he designed the aircraft to
meet this challenge.
The A-4 Skyhawk is probably his best-known aircraft today and
the culmination of his experience in dealing with the special
requirements of ship-based aircraft. Also supplied in an ad-
vancecI trainer version, the Skyhawk has been flown by every
current tactical jet fixed-wing pilot in the U.S. Navy and Marine
Corps.
Almost 7,500 A-20/DB-7 and 2,500 A-26 twin-engine attack
bombers of his design were built for the Allied forces of World
War II. The A-20/DB-7s were available to the Allied forces at
their entry into World War II and greatly contributed to the
holding of the Axis powers before the entry of the United States
into the war. Many of the A-26s were converted to high-speed
commercial business transports after World War II, whereas the
military versions continued to be used in the Vietnam War.
Edward H. Heinemann's ability to design lightweight, innova-
tive, cost-effective aircraft without sacrificing capability has en-
abled U.S. military forces to more adequately perform their
required missions. As a result of the superior basic design, these
aircraft have been able to operate over long periods of time and
OCR for page 65
EDWARD H. HEINEMANN
65
in a diversity of missions, and in some cases, exceeding the life of
the aircraft designed to succeed them. Mr. Heinemann also
produced associated aircraft equipment, such as inflight refuel-
ing stores, ejection seats, streamliner! stores, bombracks, and
special ordnance, which have become standard items on other
manufacturers' aircraft.
Mr. Heinemann's list of awards is long and distinguished. It
includes in addition to the Robert I. Collier Trophy the
National Medal of Science, honorary fellow in the Royal Aero-
nautical Society, the Guggenheim Mecial, the United States Navy
Distinguished Public Service Award, and many others. He is also
enshrined in several aviation halls of fame establisher! through-
out the United States.
Edwarcl Heinemann's illustrious career ended when he died
on November 26, 1991, at the age of eighty-three. He will be long
remembered for the number of aircraft designed by his team
and the crews that operated them.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
chief engineer
