Donald Wills Douglas Sr.
American aircraft industrialist (1892–1981) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Donald Wills Douglas Sr. (April 6, 1892 – February 1, 1981) was an American aircraft industrialist and engineer.
Donald Willis Douglas Sr. | |
---|---|
Born | (1892-04-06)April 6, 1892[1] |
Died | February 1, 1981(1981-02-01) (aged 88) |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S., Aeronautical Engineering, 1914) |
Known for | Douglas Aircraft Company |
An aviation pioneer, he designed and built the Douglas Cloudster. Though it failed in its intended purpose—being the first to fly non-stop across the United States—it became the first airplane with a payload greater than its own weight.[2][3][4][5]
He founded the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1921 (the company later merged with McDonnell Aircraft to form McDonnell Douglas Corporation, and which is now his then arch-rival's aircraft company following the latter's merger in 1997). Under his leadership, the company became one of the leaders of the commercial aircraft industry, engaging in a decades-long struggle for supremacy with arch-rival William Boeing and his eponymous enterprise. Douglas gained the upper hand, particularly with his revolutionary and highly successful Douglas DC-3 airliner and its equally popular World War II military transport version, the C-47; at the start of the war, his airplanes made up 80% of all commercial aircraft in service.[6] However, he lagged behind in the jet age and was overtaken and surpassed by Boeing. He retired in 1957.[7]