Richard Vogt (aircraft designer)
Encyclopedia
Richard Vogt was a German
engineer
and aircraft
designer.
He is well known as a designer of unique warplanes, including an asymmetrically
-shaped reconnaissance aircraft
and a nuclear-powered
bomber
, during and after World War II
.
, a town in the Kingdom of Württemberg
which at that time was a constituent state of the German Empire
. He was the seventh child of twelve sibling
s. He was admitted to a school of universal literacy education in Stuttgart-Cannstatt. When he was a student at the school, he had an opportunity get to know Ernst Heinkel
and to achieve his first aeronautical experience, which aroused his enthusiasm for flying.
In 1912, when he was 18 years old, Vogt built his first aeroplane. With this draft plane he tried to carry out first flight tests with the assistance of his friend. He carried out this plan with the permission of the authorities concerned in the heath of Mutlangen
, a neighboring town of Schwäbisch Gmünd. Unfortunately the trial, which was performed under the observation of Ernst Heinkel, was not successful.
After graduation from high school
he was working for one year at an engine factory in Ludwigshafen.
With the outbreak of World War I
, he enlisted in the ranks of the German Empire
.
However, he was injured in action and returned home.
Then he received his pilot
training in Halberstadt
at his own request.
He was discharged from military service in August 1916 and was able to work on projects at the Zeppelin works
in Friedrichshafen
.
In that company he met Claudius Dornier
.
Vogt was impressed by Dornier, which encouraged him to strive to become an aircraft designer.
After the war, he completed a two-year study course at the Technical University
in Stuttgart
, and subsequently served as an assistant to Professor Baumann at the university's Institute of Aeronautical and Automobile Systems until 1922.
During that period he was awarded his first patent
and received a doctorate degree. This was the beginning of his career as an aircraft designer.
On behalf of Claudius Dornier, Vogt was briefly sent to Italy
, and from 1923 to 1933 he was dispatched to the Kawasaki Dockyard Company Limited
(Kawasaki Aircraft) in Kobe, Japan
, which was a licensed manufacturer of Dornier aircraft
.
In Japan he was appointed to the rank of chief designer, and he trained the young Japanese engineer Takeo Doi
to be his successor. Doi later on designed the Ki-61
Hien .
During that period Vogt designed several models including the KDA-5 Army Type 92
biplane
fighter
plane, KDA-2 Army Type 88 biplane reconnaissance, KDA-3
single-seat fighter, and a modified type of the KDA-5 Army Type 92-I biplane fighter (in cooperation with Takeo Doi).
In 1933 he returned to Germany accepting an offer from the Blohm & Voss shipyards
that invited him to serve as the head engineer of the aircraft department.
His first project at Blohm & Voss was the Ha 136 monoplane
trainer
.
His second design was the Ha 137 dive bomber
with inverted gull wings.
This aircraft was not a success, but it was equipped with some pioneering technologies.
The attractive cantilever
ed wings had a rectangular-
or square-
shaped all-metal tubular spar
into which the main fuel tank
was integrated.
The peculiarity of the Ha 137 resembled the Kawasaki Ki-5
, in the design of which Vogt had been involved just before leaving Japan.
After these projects, many other warplanes, especially the BV 138 maritime reconnaissance aircraft, Ha 139 transport
seaplane
, Ha 140
torpedo bomber
seaplane, BV 141 reconnaissance aircraft, BV 222 transport / reconnaissance aircraft Viking, and BV 238 reconnaissance aircraft were produced under his leadership and significant participation.
The BV 141 is well known for its unique asymmetrical structure, and the flying boat
s BV 222 and BV 238 were the largest and heaviest aircraft, respectively, at the time of their maiden flight
s.
Although Vogt had worked out a plan for another huge flying boat, the P.200, with eight engines and a range
of 8,000 km, it could not be realized.
The design of the BV 155 high-altitude interceptor
was started in mid-1943.
The aircraft had initially been developed as the carrier
-based fighter aircraft Me 155 at Messerschmitt
.
However, as the tide of war interfered with the development of the fighter, Blohm & Voss was ordered by the Luftwaffe
to take over the design of the high-altitude fighter.
Vogt totally redesigned the aircraft and build a prototype
plane at the end of 1944 or in early 1945. The BV 155 never entered service before Germany's defeat in 1945.
At the final stage of the war, deterioration of the battle situation created a necessity for more efficient offensive power. In response to this,
Vogt designed the Bv 246 "Hagelkorn (Hailstone)", a pilotless glider carrying large quantities of explosives.
The tiny glider bomb was radio-controlled from the carrier aircraft which released it at high altitude.
However, this glider bomb had never been used in action, although more than 1,000 aircraft were manufactured.
Vogt also had conceived a plan to develop a jet fighter
, but this plan remained unexecuted.
After World War II
, Vogt was asked by the US Air Force to carry out "Operation Paperclip
", and he moved to the United States
.
In the United States, he was working as a civilian employee for the Research Laboratory of the US Air Force in Dayton
, Ohio
from the beginning of 1947 to 1954.
Subsequently he became the chief designer of the Aerophysics Development Corporation
and worked there until the company decided to discontinue this line of business in 1960.
From August 1960 to August 1966, he served as a staff member on the team of George S. Schairer
, who was the chief aerodynamicist in the research and testing division of Boeing Company
.
At Boeing, Vogt was especially involved in the design of vertical takeoff
systems and hydrofoils.
He also investigated the effect of the length and shape of wings on the flying range, and he proved that small extensions attached to both tips of the wings improved the aerodynamics
and increased the operation range of the aircraft.
This finding has been widely used in the design of modern aircraft, where the extension parts are well-known as the wing tip
s or winglets.
His last assignment was the after-launch evaluation of the design of the Boeing 747
.
After retiring from Boeing, he enjoyed developing a safe sailboat
that would not turn over, and he wrote his memoirs.
In 1977 a fire totally destroyed his house, resulting in the loss of many personal and technical documents.
Richard Vogt was married and had two sons.
In January 1979, he died of myocardial infarction
in Santa Barbara
, California
, at age 84.
In Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
designer.
He is well known as a designer of unique warplanes, including an asymmetrically
Asymmetry
Asymmetry is the absence of, or a violation of, symmetry.-In organisms:Due to how cells divide in organisms, asymmetry in organisms is fairly usual in at least one dimension, with biological symmetry also being common in at least one dimension....
-shaped reconnaissance aircraft
Surveillance aircraft
A surveillance aircraft is an aircraft used for surveillance — collecting information over time. They are operated by military forces and other government agencies in roles such as intelligence gathering, battlefield surveillance, airspace surveillance, observation , border patrol and fishery...
and a nuclear-powered
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
, during and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Biography
Richard Vogt was born in Schwäbisch GmündSchwäbisch Gmünd
Schwäbisch Gmünd is a town in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. With a population of around 62,000, the town is the second largest in the Ostalbkreis and the whole region of East Württemberg after Aalen...
, a town in the Kingdom of Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
which at that time was a constituent state of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
. He was the seventh child of twelve sibling
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
s. He was admitted to a school of universal literacy education in Stuttgart-Cannstatt. When he was a student at the school, he had an opportunity get to know Ernst Heinkel
Ernst Heinkel
Dr. Ernst Heinkel was a German aircraft designer, manufacturer, Wehrwirtschaftführer in the Third Reich, and member of the Nazi party. His company Heinkel Flugzeugwerke produced the Heinkel He 178, the world's first turbojet aircraft and jet plane, and the Heinkel He 176, the first rocket aircraft...
and to achieve his first aeronautical experience, which aroused his enthusiasm for flying.
In 1912, when he was 18 years old, Vogt built his first aeroplane. With this draft plane he tried to carry out first flight tests with the assistance of his friend. He carried out this plan with the permission of the authorities concerned in the heath of Mutlangen
Mutlangen
Mutlangen is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in Ostalbkreis district. As of 1 August 2007, Mutlangen has 6,548 inhabitants....
, a neighboring town of Schwäbisch Gmünd. Unfortunately the trial, which was performed under the observation of Ernst Heinkel, was not successful.
After graduation from high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
he was working for one year at an engine factory in Ludwigshafen.
With the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he enlisted in the ranks of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
.
However, he was injured in action and returned home.
Then he received his pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
training in Halberstadt
Halberstadt
Halberstadt is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the capital of the district of Harz. It is located on the German Half-Timbered House Road and the Magdeburg–Thale railway....
at his own request.
He was discharged from military service in August 1916 and was able to work on projects at the Zeppelin works
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German company which, during the early 20th century, was a leader in the design and manufacture of rigid airships, specifically of the Zeppelin type. The company was founded by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin...
in Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen
This article is about a German town. For the Danish town, see Frederikshavn, and for the Finnish town, see Fredrikshamn .Friedrichshafen is a university city on the northern side of Lake Constance in Southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria.It is the district capital of the...
.
In that company he met Claudius Dornier
Claudius Dornier
Claude Honoré Desiré Dornier born in Kempten im Allgäu was a German airplane builder and founder of Dornier GmbH...
.
Vogt was impressed by Dornier, which encouraged him to strive to become an aircraft designer.
After the war, he completed a two-year study course at the Technical University
Technische Hochschule
Technische Hochschule is what an Institute of Technology used to be called in German-speaking countries, as well as in the Netherlands, before most of them changed their name to Technische Universität or Technische Universiteit in the 1970s and in the...
in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, and subsequently served as an assistant to Professor Baumann at the university's Institute of Aeronautical and Automobile Systems until 1922.
During that period he was awarded his first patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
and received a doctorate degree. This was the beginning of his career as an aircraft designer.
On behalf of Claudius Dornier, Vogt was briefly sent to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and from 1923 to 1933 he was dispatched to the Kawasaki Dockyard Company Limited
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
(Kawasaki Aircraft) in Kobe, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, which was a licensed manufacturer of Dornier aircraft
Dornier Flugzeugwerke
Dornier Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturer founded in Friedrichshafen in 1914 by Claudius Dornier. Over the course of its long lifespan, the company produced many notable designs for both the civil and military markets.-History:...
.
In Japan he was appointed to the rank of chief designer, and he trained the young Japanese engineer Takeo Doi
Takeo Doi (aircraft designer)
was a Japanese aircraft designer.He designed many World War II fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. His most important work was the , aka Kawasaki Ki-61 or "Tony"....
to be his successor. Doi later on designed the Ki-61
Kawasaki Ki-61
The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien was a Japanese World War II fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force...
Hien .
During that period Vogt designed several models including the KDA-5 Army Type 92
Kawasaki Type 92
|-References:NotesBibliography...
biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
plane, KDA-2 Army Type 88 biplane reconnaissance, KDA-3
Kawasaki KDA-3
-Bibliography:* Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: Japanese Army Fighters, Part 1. London: Macdonald and Jane's, 1976. ISBN 0-356-08224-5....
single-seat fighter, and a modified type of the KDA-5 Army Type 92-I biplane fighter (in cooperation with Takeo Doi).
Blohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss , is a German shipbuilding and engineering works. It is a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; there were plans to sell 80% of Blohm + Voss to Abu Dhabi Mar Group, but talks collapsed in July 2011.-History:It was founded on April 5, 1877, by Hermann Blohm and Ernst Voss as a...
that invited him to serve as the head engineer of the aircraft department.
His first project at Blohm & Voss was the Ha 136 monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
trainer
Trainer (aircraft)
A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate in-flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristics and a simplified cockpit arrangement—allows...
.
His second design was the Ha 137 dive bomber
Dive bomber
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target reduces the distance the bomb has to fall, which is the primary factor in determining the accuracy of the drop...
with inverted gull wings.
This aircraft was not a success, but it was equipped with some pioneering technologies.
The attractive cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
ed wings had a rectangular-
Rectangle
In Euclidean plane geometry, a rectangle is any quadrilateral with four right angles. The term "oblong" is occasionally used to refer to a non-square rectangle...
or square-
Square (geometry)
In geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral. This means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles...
shaped all-metal tubular spar
Spar (aviation)
In a fixed-wing aircraft, the spar is often the main structural member of the wing, running spanwise at right angles to the fuselage. The spar carries flight loads and the weight of the wings whilst on the ground...
into which the main fuel tank
Fuel tank
A fuel tank is safe container for flammable fluids. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine system in which the fuel is stored and propelled or released into an engine...
was integrated.
The peculiarity of the Ha 137 resembled the Kawasaki Ki-5
Kawasaki Ki-5
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Unknown Author. Famous Aircraft of the World, no.76: Japanese Army Experimental Fighters . Tokyo, Japan: Bunrin-Do Co. Ltd., August 1976.-External links:*...
, in the design of which Vogt had been involved just before leaving Japan.
After these projects, many other warplanes, especially the BV 138 maritime reconnaissance aircraft, Ha 139 transport
Cargo aircraft
A cargo aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft designed or converted for the carriage of goods, rather than passengers. They are usually devoid of passenger amenities, and generally feature one or more large doors for the loading and unloading of cargo...
seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
, Ha 140
Blohm & Voss Ha 140
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 4th impression 1979, p. 70-71. ISBN 0-356-02382-6.* Schneider, H. Flugzeug-Typenbuch. Herm. Beyer Verlag, Leipzig, 1940...
torpedo bomber
Torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...
seaplane, BV 141 reconnaissance aircraft, BV 222 transport / reconnaissance aircraft Viking, and BV 238 reconnaissance aircraft were produced under his leadership and significant participation.
The BV 141 is well known for its unique asymmetrical structure, and the flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
s BV 222 and BV 238 were the largest and heaviest aircraft, respectively, at the time of their maiden flight
Maiden flight
The maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. This is similar to a ship's maiden voyage....
s.
Although Vogt had worked out a plan for another huge flying boat, the P.200, with eight engines and a range
Range (aircraft)
The maximal total range is the distance an aircraft can fly between takeoff and landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft, or cross-country speed and environmental conditions in unpowered aircraft....
of 8,000 km, it could not be realized.
The design of the BV 155 high-altitude interceptor
Interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to prevent missions of enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Interceptors generally rely on high speed and powerful armament in order to complete their mission as quickly as possible and set up...
was started in mid-1943.
The aircraft had initially been developed as the carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
-based fighter aircraft Me 155 at Messerschmitt
Messerschmitt
Messerschmitt AG was a famous German aircraft manufacturing corporation named for its chief designer, Willy Messerschmitt, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, notably the Bf 109 and Me 262...
.
However, as the tide of war interfered with the development of the fighter, Blohm & Voss was ordered by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
to take over the design of the high-altitude fighter.
Vogt totally redesigned the aircraft and build a prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
plane at the end of 1944 or in early 1945. The BV 155 never entered service before Germany's defeat in 1945.
At the final stage of the war, deterioration of the battle situation created a necessity for more efficient offensive power. In response to this,
Vogt designed the Bv 246 "Hagelkorn (Hailstone)", a pilotless glider carrying large quantities of explosives.
The tiny glider bomb was radio-controlled from the carrier aircraft which released it at high altitude.
However, this glider bomb had never been used in action, although more than 1,000 aircraft were manufactured.
Vogt also had conceived a plan to develop a jet fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
, but this plan remained unexecuted.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Vogt was asked by the US Air Force to carry out "Operation Paperclip
Operation Paperclip
Operation Paperclip was the Office of Strategic Services program used to recruit the scientists of Nazi Germany for employment by the United States in the aftermath of World War II...
", and he moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In the United States, he was working as a civilian employee for the Research Laboratory of the US Air Force in Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
from the beginning of 1947 to 1954.
Subsequently he became the chief designer of the Aerophysics Development Corporation
Curtiss-Wright
The Curtiss-Wright Corporation was the largest aircraft manufacturer in the United States at the end of World War II, but has evolved to largely become a component manufacturer, specializing in actuators, aircraft controls, valves, and metalworking....
and worked there until the company decided to discontinue this line of business in 1960.
From August 1960 to August 1966, he served as a staff member on the team of George S. Schairer
George S. Schairer
George S. Schairer was an aerodynamicst at Consolidated Aircraft and Boeing whose design innovations became standard on virtually all types of military and passenger jet planes.-Early life:...
, who was the chief aerodynamicist in the research and testing division of Boeing Company
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
.
At Boeing, Vogt was especially involved in the design of vertical takeoff
VTOL
A vertical take-off and landing aircraft is one that can hover, take off and land vertically. This classification includes fixed-wing aircraft as well as helicopters and other aircraft with powered rotors, such as cyclogyros/cyclocopters and tiltrotors...
systems and hydrofoils.
He also investigated the effect of the length and shape of wings on the flying range, and he proved that small extensions attached to both tips of the wings improved the aerodynamics
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with...
and increased the operation range of the aircraft.
This finding has been widely used in the design of modern aircraft, where the extension parts are well-known as the wing tip
Wing tip
A wing tip is the part of the wing that is most distant from the fuselage of a fixed-wing aircraft.Because the wing tip shape influences the size and drag of the wingtip vortices, tip design has produced a diversity of shapes, including:* Squared-off...
s or winglets.
His last assignment was the after-launch evaluation of the design of the Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
.
After retiring from Boeing, he enjoyed developing a safe sailboat
Sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails. The term covers a variety of boats, larger than small vessels such as sailboards and smaller than sailing ships, but distinctions in the size are not strictly defined and what constitutes a sailing ship, sailboat, or a...
that would not turn over, and he wrote his memoirs.
In 1977 a fire totally destroyed his house, resulting in the loss of many personal and technical documents.
Richard Vogt was married and had two sons.
In January 1979, he died of myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, at age 84.
Aircraft of his design
In Japan- Kawasaki KDA-2 Army Type 88 biplane reconnaissance (1927, 710 were built)
- Kawasaki KDA-3Kawasaki KDA-3-Bibliography:* Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: Japanese Army Fighters, Part 1. London: Macdonald and Jane's, 1976. ISBN 0-356-08224-5....
Single-seat fighter (1928, 3 were built) - Kawasaki KDA-5 Army Type 92Kawasaki Type 92|-References:NotesBibliography...
biplane fighter (1930, 385 were built)
In Germany
- Blohm & Voss Ha 136 Advanced monoplane trainer (1934, two were built)
- Blohm & Voss Ha 137 Close-support aircraft / dive bomber (1935, six were built)
- Blohm & Voss BV 138 Maritime reconnaissance flying boat (1937, 279 were built)
- Blohm & Voss Ha 139 Transport / reconnaissance seaplane (1936)
- Blohm & Voss Ha 140Blohm & Voss Ha 140|-See also:-Bibliography:* Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 4th impression 1979, p. 70-71. ISBN 0-356-02382-6.* Schneider, H. Flugzeug-Typenbuch. Herm. Beyer Verlag, Leipzig, 1940...
Torpedo bomber seaplane (1937, four were built) - Blohm & Voss BV 141 Reconnaissance aircraft (1938, 38 were built)
- Blohm & Voss BV 222 Transport / reconnaissance flying boat Viking (1940, 13 were built)
- Blohm & Voss BV 238 Reconnaissance flying boat (1944, one was built)
- Blohm & Voss BV 155 High-altitude interceptor (1944, three were built)
- Blohm & Voss BV 246 Radio-guidable glide bomb (1945, approximately 1,100 were built)
- and more
Writings
- Weltumspannende Memoiren eines Flugzeugkonstrukteurs ("Global memoirs of an aircraft designer", 1976
