Robert E. Gross (businessman)
Robert E. Gross | |
|---|---|
 Gross in 1953. | |
| Born | May 11, 1897 Newton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | September 3, 1961 (aged 64) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Parents |
|
Robert Ellsworth Gross (May 11, 1897 – September 3, 1961) was an American businessman involved in the field of aviation. His first venture, the Viking Flying Boat Company, failed with the loss of the aircraft market brought on by the Great Depression.
Biography
Gross was born in
Gross bet the future of the struggling new company on the (for its time) very advanced all-metal, retractable Model 10, named the Electra. This design, and its numerous descendants, came to dominate the light transport market in the 1930s and was used in numerous record-setting flights. The Electra placed Lockheed in a strong competitive position, and from 1937 the company mass-produced
Gross died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 64.
Legacy
In the 2004 film The Aviator, the character of Robert Gross appeared in a brief scene, played by Brent Spiner.