Aircraft Designer Question

[Marshall_Stack]

Were any of the WW2 aircraft designers pilots? I know that Kelly Johnson rode piggyback in the P-38 (not as a pilot) and that made me wonder if any of the engineers were pilots. It seems like it would help to also be a pilot.

IIRC, I think Kurt Tank was a pilot.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Kelly Johnson was a pilot AFAIK but only flew GA airplanes. Many design engineers are pilots but few of them flew higher performing aircraft.

 

[Colin1]

Kurt Tank
in the other direction, he also insisted that his test pilots were qualified engineers

 

[FLYBOYJ]

he also insisted that his test pilots were qualified engineers

These days most test pilots are.

Frank Whittle....

 

[drgondog]

Dutch Kindleberger was an instructor pilot in army ar force during WWI... but could hardly be described in same vein as test pilot level skills and time.

Bart Kelly (Bell Helicopter) who was head of engineering at Bell Helicopter for 40 years was early helicopter pilot and major Designer/patent holder.

Glenn Martin comes to mind.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Burt Rutan....

I saw him fly "The Boomerang" with a laptop!

 

[Colin1]

Alexander Seversky served as a pilot with the Russian Navy and Roy Grumman served as a pilot with the USN; he went on to do a stint as a test pilot with Curtiss.

 

[Waynos]

Interesting question, and one to which I do not have an answer. However it shows how much aviation had changed from WW1 when they were ALL pilots

 

[Colin1]

What was the name of that Polish lad who designed PZL fighters?
I say 'lad' because I don't think he was very old when he died.

 

[Tzaw1]

What was the name of that Polish lad who designed PZL fighters?
I say 'lad' because I don't think he was very old when he died.

Zygmunt Puławski, 1901-1931

Stanisław Wigura (1903-1932) from RWD works was pilot too. Died in accident with Franciszek Żwirko.

Jerzy Drzewiecki (1902-1990) from RWD was the test pilot.

Jerzy Dąbrowski (1899-1967) from PZL was trained fighter pilot.

 

[Colin1]

Zygmunt Puławski, 1901-1931

Yep
glad you told me - I wouldn't have guessed it

He was a pilot prior to becoming a designer, wasn't he? Or am I mixing him up with someone else?

 

[N4521U]

Tongue in cheeck, I would have thought most wirlybird designers would be too bloody smart to fly them too!! I was an SH34-J ai rcrewman in the early sixties. Sikorsky left it up to the Navy to prove them. Lost 4 pilots and 2 crewmen in 5 months training in SH3-A's! bill

 

[Tzaw1]

He was a pilot prior to becoming a designer, wasn't he?

Zygmunt Pu?awski - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Or am I mixing him up with someone else?

Maybe with Jerzy Rudlicki, designer, inventor of V-tail, who was a pilot during IWW (in russian army) and polish-soviet war.