Fred Weick
Fred Ernest Weick | |
---|---|
Ercoupe | |
Spouse | Dorothy Church (1900–1991) |
Awards | Collier Trophy 1929 Daniel Guggenheim Medal (1989) |
Fred Ernest Weick (1899–1993) was an
Life
A 1922 graduate of the
Weick worked for the
It was also at Langley that Weick headed the development of
The
Later in the 1930s, Weick improved on that design with the
Weick joined Texas A&M University in 1948. There, he worked on the design and development of the Ag-1 crop duster, and designed the Ag-3, predecessor to the Piper PA-25 Pawnee series. The same basic configuration and design concepts pioneered in the Ag-1 can be seen in more modern crop dusters including the Air Tractor AT-802.
In a 1979 interview about general aviation's future past the year 2000, Weick accurately envisioned the continued interest in sport aviation and the practical use of aircraft for medium-range transportation. He mentioned that he had seen gas turbines demonstrated as early as 1922, and that their future use in light aircraft would only be viable with development of cost-efficient materials that could withstand the heat. He felt future aircraft would not be radically different, but could benefit from safety improvements in controllability.[8]
He joined
He married Dorothy Church (1900–1991) and they had three children together. Weick died on Thursday, July 8, 1993, in Vero Beach, Florida.
In 2002, Fred E. Weick was honored by the Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society, when he was inducted into the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame for his contributions to aviation and aviation safety.[10][11]
Gallery
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NACA Cowlings
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Ercoupe
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Piper Cherokee
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Eddie Rickenbacker (left) presents the Fawcett Aviation Award to Fred E. Weick (right), January 1946
See also
References
- ^ KIRK SAVILLE (July 10, 1993). "Fred E. Weick, Aviation Pioneer". Daily Press.
- ^ "Collier 1920–1929 Recipients". National Aeronautic Association. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ "Collier Trophy Award Made". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. June 8, 1930. p. 54 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Some Ercoupe history". Bassace.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
- ^ a b c MIKE JERRAM (July 15, 1993). "Obituary: Fred Weick". The Independent. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
- ^ a b c Lambert, Bruce (July 11, 1993). "Fred Weick, 93, Dies in Florida – Was Pioneer in Airplane Design". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
- ^ "1946 PRESS PHOTO NEW YORK FRED WEYCK WINS FAWCETT AVIATION AWARD TROPHY NYC". Outlet.historicimages. Fawcett News Service. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ "Designers talk about the future". Air Progress. January 1979.
- ^ Air Progress: 29. November 1978.
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(help) - ^ "Hall of Fame Members – Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society". Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- ^ 2002.11.19 VIRGINIA HONORS FRED E. WEICK - AN AVIATION LEGEND.mpg, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved October 9, 2019
Sources
- Weick, Fred E.; Hansen, James R. (1988). From the Ground Up. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. ISBN 0-87474-950-6.
- "Fred Weick" US Centennial of Flight Commission, retrieved January 12, 2006
- "FRED E. WEICK AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL TRANSCRIPTS", NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE ARCHIVES, Accession XXXX-0425
- "interview I had with Fred Weick" Coupe landings and landing gears, September 1991 Coupe Capers: Ed Burkhead