Alexander Martin Lippisch (1894-1976)

Alexander Martin Lippisch (November 2, 1894 – February 11, 1976) was a German pioneer of aerodynamics. He made important contributions to the understanding of flying wings, delta wings and the ground effect. His most famous design is the Messerschmitt Me 163 rocket-powered interceptor. November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A Northrop YB-49 flying wing. ... The delta-wing is a wing planform in the form of a triangle. ... The term Ground effect (or Wing In Ground effect) refers to the increase in lift experienced by an aircraft as it approaches within roughly 1/4 of a wingspans length of the ground or other level surface (such as the sea). ... The Me 163 Komet was the only operational rocket fighter aircraft during WWII. It required a lengthy development process and entered the Second World War in a very limited fashion only in 1944. ...

Lippisch was born in Munich, Germany. He later recalled that his interest in aviation stemmed from a demonstration conducted by Orville Wright, over Tempelhof Field in Berlin, in September 1909. [1] Nonetheless, he planned to follow his father’s footsteps into art school. The outbreak of World War I intervened. During his service with the German Army from 1915–1918, Lippisch had the chance to fly as an aerial photographer and mapper. Munich (German: , pronounced  ) is the capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria (German: ). Munich is Germanys third largest city and one of Europes most prosperous. ... The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871–January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867–May 30, 1912), are Americans generally credited with making the first controlled, powered, heavier-than-air human flight on December 17, 1903. ... Exterior of Tempelhof Airport. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nikolay II Aleksey Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert H. Asquith D. Lloyd George Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...

Following the war, Lippisch worked with the Zeppelin Company, and it was at this time that he first became interested in tail-less aircraft. In 1921 his first such design would reach production in as the Lippisch-Espenlaub E-2 glider, built by Gottlob Espenlaub. This was the beginning of a research programme that would result in some fifty designs throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Lippisch’s growing reputation saw him appointed the director of the Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft (RRG), a glider research group. Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German company which, during the early 20th century, was a leader in the design and manufacture of rigid airships. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... Founded in 1924, the Rhön-Rositten Gesellschaft (Rhön & Rositten society) became the first official organization for glider and sailplane flying, training and research. ...

Lippisch’s work led to a series of tail-less designs numbered Storch I – Storch IX between 1927 and 1933 (these were not related to the successful Fieseler Fi 156 Storch STOL aircraft of WW2). These designs attracted little interest from the government and private industry. Nonetheless, it was during this time that Lippisch’s Ente (Duck) became the first aircraft to fly under rocket power. The Fieseler Fi 156 Storch (stork) was a small liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II, and production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market. ... The Ente (German: duck) was the world’s first rocket-powered aircraft. ... A Soyuz rocket, at Baikanur launch pad. ...

Experience with the Storch series led Lippisch to concentrate increasingly on delta-winged designs. This interest resulted in five aircraft, numbered Delta I – Delta V, which were built between 1931 and 1939. In 1933, RGG had been reorganised into the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS — "German Institute for Sailplane Flight") and the Delta IV and Delta V were designated as the DFS 39 and DFS 40 respectively. The delta-wing is a wing planform in the form of a triangle. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full year calendar). ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Alexander Lippischs Delta IV was a continuation of his work on delta wing designs pioneered in his Delta I, Delta II and Delta III aircraft. ... The DFS 40 (originally developed as the Delta V) was a tail-less research aircraft designed by Alexander Lippisch in 1937 as a follow-on to his Delta IV aircraft. ...

In early 1939, the Reichsluftfahrtsministerium (RLM — “Reich Aviation Ministry”) transferred Lippisch and his team to work at the Messerschmitt factory, in order to design a high-speed fighter aircraft around the rocket engines then under development by Hellmuth Walter. The team quickly adapted their most recent design, the DFS 194, to rocket power, the first example successfully flying in early 1940. This was the direct ancestor of what would become the Messerschmitt Me 163 "Komet". 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full year calendar). ... Reichsluftfahrtministerium ... Messerschmitt is a famous German aircraft manufacturer, known primarily for their World War II fighter aircraft, notably the Bf 109 and Me 262. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Hellmuth Walter (August 26, 1900 – December 16, 1980) was a German engineer who pioneered research into rocket engines and gas turbines. ... The DFS 194 was a rocket-powered aircraft designed by Alexander Lippisch at the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS - German Institute for Sailplane Flight) based on his Delta series of tail-less designs. ...

Although technically novel, the Komet did not prove to be a successful weapon, and friction between Lippisch and Messerschmitt was frequent. In 1943, Lippisch transferred to Vienna’s Luftfahrtforschungsanstalt Wien (LFW), to concentrate on the problems of high-speed flight. That same year, he was awarded a doctoral degree in engineering by the University of Heidelberg. 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... The Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (German Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; also known as simply University of Heidelberg) was established in the town of Heidelberg in the Rhineland in 1386. ...

Wind tunnel research in 1939 had suggested that the delta wing was a good choice for supersonic flight, and Lippisch set to work designing a supersonic, ramjet-powered fighter, the Lippisch P.13a. By the time the war ended, however, the project had only advanced as far as a development glider, the DM-1. NASA wind tunnel with the model of a plane A wind tunnel is a research tool developed to assist with studying the effects of air moving over or around solid objects. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full year calendar). ... It has been suggested that hypersonic be merged into this article or section. ... A ramjet, sometimes referred to as a stovepipe jet, is a type of jet engine. ... The Lippisch P.13a was an experimental ramjet-powered delta wing interceptor aircraft designed in late 1944 by Dr. Alexander Lippisch for Nazi Germany. ...

Like many German scientists, Lippisch was taken to the United States after the war under Operation Paperclip. Advances in jet engine design were making Lippisch's ideas more practical, and Convair became interested in a hybrid jet/rocket design which they proposed as the F-92. [2] In order to gain experience with the delta wing, they first built a jet powered test aircraft, the 7003, which became the first powered delta-wing aircraft to fly. Although the USAF lost interest in the F-92, Convair's experience with the delta-wing design led them to proposing it for most of their projects through the 1950s and into the 1960s, including the F-102 Delta Dagger, F-106 Delta Dart and B-58 Hustler. Operation Paperclip scientists pose together. ... A Pratt and Whitney turbofan engine for the F-15 Eagle is tested at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, USA. The tunnel behind the engine muffles noise and allows exhaust to escape. ... The Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, universally known as Convair, was the result of a 1943 merger between Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft, resulting in a leading aircraft manufacturer of the United States. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger fighter aircraft was part of the backbone of the United States air defenses in the late 1950s. ... The Convair F-106A Delta Dart was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft for the US Air Force from the 1960s through the late 1970s. ... The Convair B-58 Hustler was a high-speed jet bomber capable of supersonic flight. ...

From 1950–1964 Lippisch worked for the Collins Radio Company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which had an aeronautical division. It was during this time that his interest shifted toward ground effect craft. The results were an unconventional VTOL aircraft (an aerodyne) and an aerofoil boat. However, Lippisch contracted cancer, and resigned from Collins. 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Rockwell Collins. ... Nickname: City of Five Seasons, CR Location in the State of Iowa Coordinates: Country United States State Iowa County Linn County Incorporated 1849  - Mayor Kay Halloran Area    - City  64. ... A Ground effect vehicle is vehicle that takes advantage of the aerodynamic principle of ground effect (or Wing-in-ground). ... Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) describes airplanes that can lift off vertically. ... An aerodyne is a heavier-than-air aircraft with a lifting body; as opposed to an aeroplane (which uses wings for lift) or an aerostat (which uses buoyancy, such as a balloon). ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these cells to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ...

When he recovered in 1966, he formed his own research company, Lippisch Research Corporation, and attracted the interest of the West German government. Prototypes for both the aerodyne and the ground-effect craft were built, but no further development was undertaken. The Kiekhaefer Mercury company was also interested in his ground-effect craft and successfully tested one of his designs as the Aeroskimmer, but also eventually lost interest. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... The Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), formerly known as the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, is a United States based corporation that has been involved in manufacturing a wide variety of products since 1845. ...

Lippisch died at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Nickname: City of Five Seasons, CR Location in the State of Iowa Coordinates: Country United States State Iowa County Linn County Incorporated 1849  - Mayor Kay Halloran Area    - City  64. ...

Other Aircraft Designed by Lippisch

• Lippisch P.01-111, designed as a competitor to the Messerschmitt Me-163 Komet.
• Lippisch Li P.04-106, a tailless airplane designed as a competitor to the Messerschmitt Me-329
• Lippisch P.11, designed to compete with the Horten Ho-IX; the latter went on to become the Horten (Gotha) Ho-(Go-)229.
• Lippisch P.13a, a unique delta-winged, ramjet-powered interceptor.
• Lippisch P.13b, a unique airplane powered by a rotating fuel-table of lignite, owing to the fuel shortages late in World War 2 in Germany.
• Lippisch P.15, a development of the Messerschmitt Me-163 Komet.