Dick Johnson (glider pilot)
Encyclopedia
Richard H. Johnson (January 10, 1923 – July 23, 2008) was a glider pilot, aeronautical engineer and prolific writer of articles for gliding magazines. He was an 11-time U.S. National Champion glider pilot, 9-time US Soaring Team pilot at the Soaring World Championships, held two World Gliding Records and is a member of the US Soaring Hall of Fame
. He flew for 70 years and logged over 14,000 flying hours, including over 10,000 hours of non-powered flight time in sailplanes. He authored over 100 articles on soaring and flight tests of gliders.
, Canada. He grew up in Los Altos, California
, where he learned the basics of flight and aerodynamics as a model airplane and glider enthusiast. He won the California State Hand-Launched Model Glider Championship in 1937.
In 1938, wanting to graduate to full-size aircraft, Johnson read Wolf Hirth's book The Art of Soaring Flight three times. Using a second-hand Northrup primary glider he purchased and being carefully towed by brother Dave driving a 1931 Model A Ford, he taught himself how to fly. Over a period of several months ground skims were gradually replaced by straight-ahead landings, S-turns, 180 degree turns, and finally 360 degree turn flights.
The following year Johnson and Dave purchased a Bowlus Baby Albatross intermediate glider kit, and assembled it in their spare time over fall, winter and spring of 1940. With his brother's assistance, they built a wooden trailer for the Baby Albatross glider, and towed the glider 3,000 miles to Elmira, New York. to enter the 1940 U.S. National Gliding Championships at age 17. As a self-taught pilot Johnson had not been licensed prior to this time, so before entering the contest he received a Private Glider Pilot license at Elmira and obtained a legal registration for his home-built Albatross. During the contest he earned his Silver C badge (badge #28), and placed 3rd overall in the contest.
2-seat metal intermediate training glider, had received his Commercial Glider Pilot license and gave flight instruction during weekends on Rosamond Dry Lake in the Mojave Desert
of California. At the start of World War II, the U.S. Government took possession of his glider through the War Powers Act, and Dick Johnson became a Civilian Glider Flight Instructor, training military glider pilots at 29 Palms Air Academy, California. Training was performed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 14 months, with Johnson flying two 6 hour shifts per day - one shift as a glider instructor and one shift as a tow plane pilot. After 14 months of training no additional glider pilots were needed and Johnson obtained a co-pilot position with Pan American World Airways
, Pacific Division in Consolidated PBY-3
, Martin 120 and Boeing 314
flying boats. He was later assigned to the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) flying PBM-3 and PB-2Y3s. Johnson remained active as the area wing commander of the World War II Glider Pilots Association into his 80s.
63(2)-615 laminar flow
airfoil
selected by Dick Lyon. The NACA laminar airfoils were developed in secret during World War II, and subsequently released for public use after the war, but it its use here was unproven because no sailplane had used such an airfoil before.
However, other obligations prevented Ross from completing the project within the contracted one year schedule, so Johnson took delivery of the partially completed sailplane in 1949. He completed the construction in 1950, and under the direction of Dr. August Raspet of the AeroPhysics Research Laboratory of Mississippi State University, where Johnson was an Aeronautical Engineering student, he measured the glide ratio performance of the initial design at 33-to-1. With the help of Dr. Raspet, Johnson made several modifications which in 1951 resulted in a better than 40 to 1 glide ratio - the first sailplane to achieve that milestone. At Dr. Raspet's suggestion, the name was changed to the RJ-5. Dick Johnson flew the RJ-5 to win the US Open Class Nationals in 1950, 51, 52 and 54, to break the World Distance Record in 1951 and to break the 100 km Triangle World Speed Record in 1952. The World Distance flight of 535 mi (861 km) from Odessa, Texas
to Salina, Kansas
was the first glider flight to exceed 500 miles and broke the previous world record by 70 mi (113 km). This record held for 12 years, until broken by Al Parker in a Sisu 1A glider that used a more refined laminar flow airfoil.
The RJ-5 has been restored and is on display at the National Soaring Museum
in Elmira, New York
.
, consisting mostly of the Flight Test Evaluation series starting in 1976, which measured the performance of sailplanes utilizing the measurement methods taught by Dr Raspet and refined by Johnson. Funded by the Dallas Gliding Association, which did not have any financial ties to sailplane manufacturers, Johnson's evaluations were considered an unbiased evaluation and were reprinted in multiple languages and collected into book form. In addition to measuring the sailplane performance as received, these evaluations documented opportunities for measurable performance improvements such as wing smoothing, improved wing seals, turbulator inducing strips, and deturbulator strips.
Employed as aeronautical engineer first at Chance Vought, then at Temco Aircraft from 1953 to 1961 before becoming Chief Aerodynamicist at Texas Instruments
(TI) from 1961 to official retirement in 1993. Remained an active consultant to a variety of companies through 2008.
His projects were:
Posthumously received the Richard H. Johnson Technical Achievement Award from the Precision Strike Association at the PSA Technical Symposium in October 2009. This award was created in his name to recognize an individual from the public or private sector for outstanding personal technical achievement resulting in significant contribution to precision strike systems. The PSA's documentation for this award indicates that "Dick Johnson personally led the design or redesign of more precision strike airframes than any contemporary. In a number of conflicts over the past two decades, the majority of weapon airframes were Johnson's designs. His innovative designs, or copies of them, appear in nearly every nation's military where precision strike systems are employed."
Soaring Hall of Fame
The Soaring Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have made the highest achievements in, or contributions to, the sport of soaring in the United States of America. It has been located at the National Soaring Museum in Elmira, New York, since 1975...
. He flew for 70 years and logged over 14,000 flying hours, including over 10,000 hours of non-powered flight time in sailplanes. He authored over 100 articles on soaring and flight tests of gliders.
Early years
Dick Johnson was born on January 10, 1923 in Medicine Hat, AlbertaAlberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada. He grew up in Los Altos, California
Los Altos, California
Los Altos is a city at the southern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 28,976 according to the 2010 census....
, where he learned the basics of flight and aerodynamics as a model airplane and glider enthusiast. He won the California State Hand-Launched Model Glider Championship in 1937.
In 1938, wanting to graduate to full-size aircraft, Johnson read Wolf Hirth's book The Art of Soaring Flight three times. Using a second-hand Northrup primary glider he purchased and being carefully towed by brother Dave driving a 1931 Model A Ford, he taught himself how to fly. Over a period of several months ground skims were gradually replaced by straight-ahead landings, S-turns, 180 degree turns, and finally 360 degree turn flights.
The following year Johnson and Dave purchased a Bowlus Baby Albatross intermediate glider kit, and assembled it in their spare time over fall, winter and spring of 1940. With his brother's assistance, they built a wooden trailer for the Baby Albatross glider, and towed the glider 3,000 miles to Elmira, New York. to enter the 1940 U.S. National Gliding Championships at age 17. As a self-taught pilot Johnson had not been licensed prior to this time, so before entering the contest he received a Private Glider Pilot license at Elmira and obtained a legal registration for his home-built Albatross. During the contest he earned his Silver C badge (badge #28), and placed 3rd overall in the contest.
World War II Years
By 1941 Johnson owned a Schweizer SGS 2-8Schweizer SGS 2-8
The Schweizer SGS 2-8 is a United States two-seat, mid-wing, strut-braced, training glider built by Schweizer Aircraft of Elmira, New York.The 2-8 was originally known simply as "The Schweizer Two-Place" when it first flew in June 1938...
2-seat metal intermediate training glider, had received his Commercial Glider Pilot license and gave flight instruction during weekends on Rosamond Dry Lake in the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
of California. At the start of World War II, the U.S. Government took possession of his glider through the War Powers Act, and Dick Johnson became a Civilian Glider Flight Instructor, training military glider pilots at 29 Palms Air Academy, California. Training was performed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 14 months, with Johnson flying two 6 hour shifts per day - one shift as a glider instructor and one shift as a tow plane pilot. After 14 months of training no additional glider pilots were needed and Johnson obtained a co-pilot position with Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
, Pacific Division in Consolidated PBY-3
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
, Martin 120 and Boeing 314
Boeing 314
The Boeing 314 Clipper was a long-range flying boat produced by the Boeing Airplane Company between 1938 and 1941 and is comparable to the British Short S.26. One of the largest aircraft of the time, it used the massive wing of Boeing’s earlier XB-15 bomber prototype to achieve the range necessary...
flying boats. He was later assigned to the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) flying PBM-3 and PB-2Y3s. Johnson remained active as the area wing commander of the World War II Glider Pilots Association into his 80s.
The RJ-5
The RJ-5 sailplane was one of the first to utilize a laminar flow airfoil, and the first to achieve a glide ratio of 40-to-1. In 1948 Dick Johnson contracted with Harland Ross to design and build the glider (originally designated R-5). One key design decision was to use a NACANACA
- Organizations :* National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the forerunner of the U.S. federal agency NASA* National Association for Campus Activities, an organization for programmers of university and college activities...
63(2)-615 laminar flow
Laminar flow
Laminar flow, sometimes known as streamline flow, occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption between the layers. At low velocities the fluid tends to flow without lateral mixing, and adjacent layers slide past one another like playing cards. There are no cross currents...
airfoil
Airfoil
An airfoil or aerofoil is the shape of a wing or blade or sail as seen in cross-section....
selected by Dick Lyon. The NACA laminar airfoils were developed in secret during World War II, and subsequently released for public use after the war, but it its use here was unproven because no sailplane had used such an airfoil before.
However, other obligations prevented Ross from completing the project within the contracted one year schedule, so Johnson took delivery of the partially completed sailplane in 1949. He completed the construction in 1950, and under the direction of Dr. August Raspet of the AeroPhysics Research Laboratory of Mississippi State University, where Johnson was an Aeronautical Engineering student, he measured the glide ratio performance of the initial design at 33-to-1. With the help of Dr. Raspet, Johnson made several modifications which in 1951 resulted in a better than 40 to 1 glide ratio - the first sailplane to achieve that milestone. At Dr. Raspet's suggestion, the name was changed to the RJ-5. Dick Johnson flew the RJ-5 to win the US Open Class Nationals in 1950, 51, 52 and 54, to break the World Distance Record in 1951 and to break the 100 km Triangle World Speed Record in 1952. The World Distance flight of 535 mi (861 km) from Odessa, Texas
Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
to Salina, Kansas
Salina, Kansas
Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
was the first glider flight to exceed 500 miles and broke the previous world record by 70 mi (113 km). This record held for 12 years, until broken by Al Parker in a Sisu 1A glider that used a more refined laminar flow airfoil.
The RJ-5 has been restored and is on display at the National Soaring Museum
National Soaring Museum
The National Soaring Museum is an aviation museum whose stated aim is to preserve the history of motorless flight. It is located on top of Harris Hill near Elmira, New York, USA.The NSM is the Soaring Society of America's official repository...
in Elmira, New York
Elmira, New York
Elmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.The City of Elmira is located in...
.
Flight test evaluations
Dick Johnson wrote more than 100 articles for Soaring magazineSoaring (magazine)
SOARING is a magazine published monthly as a membership benefit of the Soaring Society of America. The magazine's article topics include safety issues and accounts of individual gliding accomplishments....
, consisting mostly of the Flight Test Evaluation series starting in 1976, which measured the performance of sailplanes utilizing the measurement methods taught by Dr Raspet and refined by Johnson. Funded by the Dallas Gliding Association, which did not have any financial ties to sailplane manufacturers, Johnson's evaluations were considered an unbiased evaluation and were reprinted in multiple languages and collected into book form. In addition to measuring the sailplane performance as received, these evaluations documented opportunities for measurable performance improvements such as wing smoothing, improved wing seals, turbulator inducing strips, and deturbulator strips.
Death
Dick Johnson died July 23, 2008, at age 85, while flying a Ventus A glider from a Midlothian, Texas airport.Gliding awards received
- F.A.I. Lilienthal Gliding MedalLilienthal Gliding MedalLilienthal Gliding Medal – the highest soaring award in the world, established by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in 1938 in honor of Otto Lilienthal, a German pioneer of human aviation. It aims "to reward a particularly remarkable performance in gliding, or eminent services to the sport of...
in 1986, the highest gliding award in the world - F.A.I. Paul Tissandier Diploma in 1976- for serving the cause of aviation by work, initiative and devotion
- F.A.I. Klemperer Award and OSTIV Plaque (International Scientific and Technical Soaring Organization) in 1983 for contributions to international gliding sciences
- S.S.A Hall of Fame in 1956
- S.S.A. Warren E. Eaton Memorial Award in 1967 for outstanding contributions to the art, sport, or science of soaring flight in the U.S.A.
- S.S.A. Soaring Society of America Exceptional Service Award (1982)
- S.S.A Paul E. Tuntland Memorial Award in 1977, 1979, 1983, 2000 and 2007 for important contributions to the science of soaring flight
- S.S.A Larissa Stroukoff Memorial Trophy in 1975, 1981 and 1985 for the best speed in any task during the U.S. National Open Class Soaring Championship
List of Gliding National Championships 1st Place Finishes
All are Open Class Nationals (i.e., Richard C. du Pont Memorial Trophy) unless otherwise noted- 1950, Grand Prairie, Texas, in RJ-5
- 1951, Elmira, New York in RJ-5
- 1952, Grand Prairie, Texas, in RJ-5
- 1954, Elsinore, California, in RJ-5
- 1959, Elmira, New York in Weihe
- 1963, Elmira, New York in Skylark 4
- 1964, McCook, Nebraska, in Skylark 4
- 1974, (Standard Class Nationals), Hobbs, New Mexico, in PIK-20
- 1975, Hobbs, New Mexico, in Nimbus 2
- 1981, Ionia, Michigan, in Nimbus 2
- 1985, Hutchison, Kansas, in Nimbus 3
Participation on the US Soaring Team in the World Soaring Championships
- 1952, MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain, 24th place in RJ-5 - 1960, CologneCologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany, 15th place in Adastra - 1963, ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, in Sisu-1, 4th place - 1965, South CerneySouth CerneySouth Cerney is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, 3 miles south of Cirencester and close to the border with Wiltshire. It had a population of 3,074 according to the 2001 census...
, England, in Skylark 4, 18th place - 1968, Leszno, Poland, in HP-13, 8th place
- 1970, Marfa, TexasMarfa, TexasMarfa is a town in the high desert of far West Texas in the Southwestern United States. Located between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park, it is also the county seat of Presidio County. The population was 1,981 at the 2010 census....
, Team captain (non-flying role) - 1972, Vrsac, YugoslaviaYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, in ASW-17, 5th place - 1974, Waikerie, Australia, in ASW-17, 8th place
- 1976, Rayskala, Finland, in Jantar 2A, 7th place
- 1978, ChâteaurouxChâteaurouxChâteauroux is the capital of the Indre department in central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called Castelroussines or Castelroussins....
, France, in Jantar 2B, 6th place
List of sailplanes owned
The following is a list of sailplanes owned by Dick Johnson in chronological order. These sailplanes cover much of the history of sailplane designs, from an early open fuselage "primary" glider to the modern composite designs.- Northrup Primary, purchased 2nd hand in 1938
- Bowlus Baby Albatross, purchased as kit in 1939 and completed in 1940
- Schweizer SGS 2-8Schweizer SGS 2-8The Schweizer SGS 2-8 is a United States two-seat, mid-wing, strut-braced, training glider built by Schweizer Aircraft of Elmira, New York.The 2-8 was originally known simply as "The Schweizer Two-Place" when it first flew in June 1938...
, purchased in 1941 (US government took possession in 1942 under War Powers Act) - Bowlus Baby Albatross, purchased used from factory in 1942, destroyed in high altitude flight in 1942
- Tiny Mite, purchased partially constructed in 1947
- RJ-5, Purchased partially completed in 1949 as R-5; modified to become the RJ-5
- DFS WeiheDFS Weihe|-See also:-External links:**...
, purchased in 1959 - Johnson Adastra (J-6), Johnson designed, completed construction in 1960
- Slingsby Skylark 4, purchased in 1963
- Schreder HP-14, purchased as kit in 1965, completed in 1967
- Schleicher ASW 17Schleicher ASW 17|-References:* Gliders and Sailplanes of the World by Michael Hardy - Ian Allan Ltd 1982 ISBN 0711011524* Sailplanes 1965-2000 by Martin Simons - Eqip ISBN 3980883817-External links:*...
, purchased in 1973 - Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 2, purchased in 1974
- Eiri-Avion PIK-20Eiri-Avion PIK-20|-References:**Thomas F, Fundamentals of Sailplane Design, College Park Press, 1999*Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Eqip, 2004*...
, purchased in 1976 - Schempp-Hirth Ventus A, purchased in 1980
- Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 3, purchased in 1981
Academic and professional achievements
- BS in Aeronautical Engineering from Mississippi State UniversityMississippi State UniversityThe Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
in 1952 - MS in Aero Engineering from Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1953
Employed as aeronautical engineer first at Chance Vought, then at Temco Aircraft from 1953 to 1961 before becoming Chief Aerodynamicist at Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
(TI) from 1961 to official retirement in 1993. Remained an active consultant to a variety of companies through 2008.
His projects were:
- PavewayPavewayPaveway is a generic term for Laser Guided Bombs .Pave or PAVE is sometimes used as an acronym for precision avionics vectoring equipment; literally, electronics for controlling the speed and direction of aircraft...
Laser Guided Bomb (LGB)- At TI in 1964 Johnson was instrumental in developing the aeronautical solutions for the initial laser guided bomb, the BOLT GBU-1, including the unique floating "birdie head" which provided a stable platform for the "smart bomb" guidance system. The "Bolt" was followed by the Paveway I and Paveway II family of laser guided bombs. The success of the Paveway guided systems during the Vietnam War showed the advantages for surgical strike capabilities of a "smart bomb". Johnson received TI's Pat Haggerty Innovation Award for work on that project. - High Speed Anti Radar Missile (HARM) 1973, involved in airframe development
- Javelin Anti-Tank Missile 1980, lead airframe development
- Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW) unmanned military glider 1987, lead airframe development
- NLOS (Non Line of Sight) Weapon-lead airframe development
- Paveway III- GBU-24, GBU-27 and GBU-28 ("Bunker Buster")- lead airframe development
Posthumously received the Richard H. Johnson Technical Achievement Award from the Precision Strike Association at the PSA Technical Symposium in October 2009. This award was created in his name to recognize an individual from the public or private sector for outstanding personal technical achievement resulting in significant contribution to precision strike systems. The PSA's documentation for this award indicates that "Dick Johnson personally led the design or redesign of more precision strike airframes than any contemporary. In a number of conflicts over the past two decades, the majority of weapon airframes were Johnson's designs. His innovative designs, or copies of them, appear in nearly every nation's military where precision strike systems are employed."
External links
- http://www.deturbulator.org/
- http://soaringweb.org/Awards
- http://sinhatech.com/