Alfred Christian Loedding (February17, 1906 – October10, 1963) was an American aeronautical engineer.[2][3] He was a pioneer in the development ofsolid-fuel rockets.[3]
In 1928, Loedding was vice-president of the student flying club and was profiled for a model he made ofCharles Lindbergh's planeThe Spirit of St. Louis.[4][5] In 1930, Loedding graduated from New York University with a degree in mechanical engineering and aeronautical engineering. He received the school's Guggenheim award.[3] He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the air service.[6]
In 1937, he was employed byBellanca Aircraft.[2] He was profiled for his work on rocket planes.[1] From 1938 to 1950, the Army Air Force, later US Air Force. For three years he led the Jet Propulsion Lab at Wright Field.[7] He was involved in the development of solid-fueled rockets.[8][9] In 1939, he was involved in model plane contests, serving both as a judge and an award-winning participant.[10][11] In 1941, he accompaniedRobert Goddard to Roswell army airfield for a test.[12][3] He later observed tests conducted byJack Parsons andAerojet.[13] Loedding was involved inProject Sign, the Air Force's investigation into flying discs or UFOs.[14] He conducted a 1949 lecture at University of Pittsburgh.[15] In 1958, Loedding was profiled after being awarded a patent for a solid-fueled military rocket.[16][7] In 1959, he was profiled and photographed with a model he called a 'flying pumpkin seed'.[17]
Loedding was instrumental to the development ofair-to-air refueling systems.[3] Loedding died in 1963.[3] In 2013, his son Donald Loedding published a book that discussed his famous father.[18]
