Thomas F. Hamilton
Thomas F. Hamilton | |
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Malibu Resort at Princess Louisa Inlet | |
Spouse | Ethal Inez Hughes (1st wife) & Lenora Hamilton (2nd wife) |
Children | 4 |
Thomas Foster Hamilton (July 28, 1894 – August 12, 1969) was a pioneering aviator and the founder of the Hamilton Standard Company.[1]
Since 1930,
Life
Hamilton was born on July 28, 1894.[2] He spent most of his childhood in Seattle. He was the older of two boys (his brother, Edgar Charles Hamilton, born later) to his parents (Thomas Luther and Henrietta Hamilton). Hamilton's early interests in aviation began when he was around 10 years old. His mother had taken a trip to see the 1904 St. Louis Exposition, where there was a display of gliders organized by Octave Chanute and, somehow on her return, Hamilton became more focused on aeronautics. Mrs. Hamilton may have made a connection with Chanute at the fair since the young Tom Hamilton did not make the long trip with her. Some years later, Hamilton indicated that he often wrote to Chanute concerning technical matters related to his early aircraft, though no record has been found mentioning Hamilton in Chanute's letter collection currently located at the Library of Congress thus far.
During the 1909 Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition, held in Seattle (held on the site of the present-day University of Washington), the young Hamilton, now at the age of 14, had a job of repairing hot-air balloons. This job would also allow him to ride what he repaired (possibly a type of insurance policy to ensure the balloons were fixed properly) which helped fuel his continuing interest in aviation.[3] Also, during this time, Hamilton and a school friend, Paul J. Palmer established a partnership and called their company “Hamilton and Palmer”. Their office and factory were located in their respective parents' garage and kitchen tables. The two built and experimented with various biplane glider designs of the time. The two quickly gained a better understanding of the principles of how aircraft worked and were put together. Three gliders were actually built and flown around the steep hills around their neighborhood in Seattle called Leschi which was on the west shores of Lake Washington. There was only one mishap. The second glider jerked out of the hands of Palmer and soared away and crashing into pieces blocks away. Many years later, Hamilton would recall that even though he got a scar on his left hand from one of the flights, he had learned how to fly from those tests.
In 1910, after finishing their experiments with the gliders they moved on to building propeller-driven aircraft. At this point, there was a disagreement between Palmer and Hamilton, and the former was no longer involved with the company and was totally removed from the partnership. It seems this split was so severe that Hamilton changed the name of the company to the “Hamilton Aero Manufacturing Co”.
Early aircraft designs
In 1911, Hamilton teamed up with
Also in 1914, a number of wealthy businessmen from Vancouver,
Military interest
The US military was very interested in Hamilton's background and requested that he come out east. The military leaders at the time wanted to keep most of their aviation resources closer to Washington D.C., and not in the remote Pacific Northwest. A Milwaukee woodworking firm, the Matthews Brothers Furniture Company, needed an experienced person to run their new aviation division since a large military contract was signed to produce wood propellers for the Navy and Army. Hamilton became their director of aviation in 1918.[5] However, once the war ended Hamilton bought their entire inventory of wood propellers and again started his own company called the Hamilton Aero Manufacturing Company in Milwaukee. Around this time, Hamilton met and married Ethel Inez Hughes, from Milwaukee. The Hamiltons spent ten years in Milwaukee, where it was established as one of the nation's major aviation hubs in the 1920s.[6]
Propeller manufacturing
Propellers were the first item to be manufactured by the new Hamilton Manufacturing Company, in Milwaukee. The limitations of using wood as a material for aircraft propellers were well known. Metal propellers can be thinner, more closely approximating the ideal airfoil sections needed for maximizing efficiency, while not being affected by the problems caused by moisture and vibrations, which can cause wood propellers to delaminate.
Float manufacturing
Pontoons were the second product to be manufactured by the company. Again, wood was also used in the construction and even preservatives to protect them, prolonged exposure to water caused the wood to deteriorate quickly.[5]
Despite the clear advantages, there was initially a strong resistance to using materials that rusted easily but this changed with the widespread introduction of a new aluminum alloy developed at Zeppelin. Duralumin may have been the greatest metallurgical advance of its time and allowed aluminum to be used for structural members for the first time, normally being too soft in its pure form, while still being lighter than steel and very resistant to the types of corrosion that would compromise the strength of iron and steel alloys.[7]
All-metal aircraft
Following
Hamilton Metalplane H-18
The first aircraft built by this company was the Metalplane H-18, christened the “Maiden Milwaukee” in 1927. Its design came from the chief designer of the Metalplane Company of the time –
Hamilton Metalplane H-18 Helicopter Experiment
One of the interesting concepts, was when the designers took the H-18 and fitted two large downward facing propellers (i.e. on under each wing at midpoint) driven by a small engine mounted in the fuselage. It was claimed that this conversion resulted in an aircraft that could take off in a very short distance. Very little else is known about the conversion of an H.18 to this mode.[8]
Hamilton Metalplane H-45 and H-47
The aircraft was redesigned and these modifications were introduced in the sequential new models of the Metalplane called the H-45 and H-47. The aircraft now could accommodate passengers and mail. To do this, they had to specifically change the aircraft such as: moving the wing above the fuselage so six seats could be added; enclosing the cockpit and adding windows and leather padding the interior of the aircraft for the passengers' comfort. Offering different types of radial engines that could be incorporated per the customers' request (both Wright and Pratt & Whitney) and different types of landing gear that could be fitted too (such as skis, wheels, and pontoons). Since most of the Hamilton Metalplanes used most of the products generated from the other Hamilton factory it was a cheaper than the Ford Tri-Motor.[9] The Hamilton Metalplane was definitely a plane of its time, for it was the era when airlines were being developed with cargo/mail-in mind instead of passengers. Both the Hamilton Metalplane and the Ford tri-motors started to change this trend. Northwest Airlines started by purchasing a number of Hamiltons to be used in their first passenger run throughout their routes in the Northwest. Ralph Sexton bought a number of Hamiltons to be used for his Panamanian airline called Isthmian Airways. A few went to Alaska and Canada for use in the Arctic. As with Hamilton's earlier aircraft in Seattle, it is not known the exact figure of how many Hamiltons were built but it is estimated to be between 27 and 40 aircraft. Unfortunately, the Hamilton Metalplanes were not as successful as the Ford Tri-Motors. Ford was successful at its marketing strategy of stating it is safer to fly on three engines than on one. For this reason, the Hamilton Metal plane struggled in the market, for it was a good airplane developed ahead of its time.
Consolidation
In 1929, a holding company called the United Aircraft and Transport Company incorporated a number of aviation companies under one control. This resulted in the Metalplane Company becoming part of Boeing as a separate division for a short time. Eventually, it was absorbed into the Boeing Company with all its patents and other assets becoming a part of the Boeing enterprise. It has been suggested that Boeing may have used these items from the Hamilton Metalplane Company in the development of their Boeing 247 (Boeing's first all-metal monoplane).
In the meantime, Hamilton became president of United Airports (a division of UA&T) and was in charge of building the new
Build-up to war
After the
Hamilton had set up his headquarters in Paris's
Return to the US
Once back in the United States, Hamilton found a different sort of career in the hotel and hospitality business. He started developing a resort on the coast of
Death
Hamilton died on August 12, 1969. His funeral was held at All Saints Episcopal Church,
References
- ^ "Thomas F. Hamilton". EarlyAviators. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
- ^ World War I draft registration
- ^ Vaughn, Wade. Seattle Leschi Diary. Seattle, WA: The Council, 1982.
- ^ Hamilton Aero Manufacturing Company. Catalog of Everything Aviatic, Including Aeroplanes, Motors, Parts, Supplies, and Accessories. 1900s.
- ^ a b Hamilton, Thomas F. Biography and Scrapbook. 1911.
- ^ Hardie, George. Papers. 1880.
- ^ Rosen, George, and Charles A. Anezis. Thrusting Forward: A History of the Propeller. [United States]: Hamilton Standard, Division of United Technologies Corp, 1984.
- ^ "Helicopter Plane Passes Successful Tests" Popular Mechanics, February 1930, rare photos of conversion of H-18
- ^ Boeing Airplane Company. America's Outstanding Single-Motored Transport of the Air. Milwaukee, Wis: Boeing Airplane Co., Hamilton Metalplane Division, 1927.
- ^ Wilson, Eugene Edward. Slipstream; The Autobiography of an Air Craftsman. Palm Beach, Fla: Literary Investment Guild, 1967.
- ^ Wilson, Eugene Edward. Oral History of Eugene E. Wilson. 1962.
- ^ Hitz, Charles William. Through the Rapids: The History of Princess Louisa Inlet. Kirkland, Wash: Sitka 2 Pub, 2003.
- ^ Social Security Death Index
- ^ "Rites Set for T. F. Hamilton Flying Pioneer". The New York Times. August 13, 1969. Retrieved 2008-06-30.