Alfred Victor Verville | |
|---|---|
 Verville in 1925 | |
| Born | (1890-11-16)16 November 1890 |
| Died | 10 March 1970(1970-03-10) (aged 79) |
| Other names | Fred Verville |
| Occupations | aviation designer, aeronautic engineer |
| Known for | Pioneering contributions tocivil andmilitary aviation design |
| Spouse | Eva |
| Parent(s) | Victor Verville Fabianna Miron |
| Signature | |
 | |
Alfred Victor Verville (November 16, 1890 – March 10, 1970) was an Americanaviation pioneer and aircraft designer who contributed tocivilian andmilitary aviation.[1] During his forty-seven years in the aviation industry, he was responsible for the design and development of nearly twentycommercial and military airplanes. Verville is known for designingflying boats, military racing airplanes (such as the record breakingVerville-Sperry R-3), and a series of commercial cabin airplanes. His planes were awarded with thePulitzer Speed Classic Trophy in 1920 and 1924.
Verville was a founder of three aeronautical companies, theGeneral Aeroplane Company,Verville Aircraft Company, and theBuhl Aircraft Company. He worked for GeneralBilly Mitchell during his service at theUnited States Army Air Service from 1918 to 1925. From 1937 to 1945, he worked as a consultant for companies such asDouglas Aircraft,Curtiss-Wright, Snead Aircraft, and Drexel Aviation. Verville spent the next sixteen years in theU.S. federal government, primarily in theBureau of Aeronautics, before retiring in 1961.
Verville received many honors and awards, including a selection as a fellow of theSmithsonian Institution'sNational Air and Space Museum in 1962. Anairmail stamp was issued in 1985 by theUS Postal Service in Verville's honor. In 1991, he was posthumously inducted into the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame.
Verville was born inAtlantic Mine, a small town inMichigan'sUpper Peninsula, on November 16, 1890,[2] as the son of Victor Verville and Fabianna Miron.[3] As a child, his mother bought him a Conyne-stylebox kite fromSears Roebuck, which captured his imagination and started his interest in flight and aviation. Verville also began reading stories about theWright brothers in newspapers and magazines with great interest. Later he even wrote to the Wrights andGlenn Curtiss and received responses.[4]: 2–3
After graduating from Adams Township High School,[5] Verville took acorrespondence course inelectrical engineering.[6][7] He moved toDetroit, Michigan, at the age of twenty, and from 1910 to 1913 he worked in the electrical departments of theDetroit Edison Company,Ford Motor Company, andHudson Motor Car Company.[4]: 3–4 By 1913, Verville had made his mind up that he wanted to learn to fly.William Edmund Scripps, the editor and owner ofThe Detroit News, introduced Verville to Glenn Curtiss in July 1913. Curtiss encouraged Verville to apply for his spring 1914 flight school. Instead, Verville went toHammondsport, New York, in February 1914, whereCurtiss Aeroplane Company was located, and told Curtiss he wanted to work as an apprentice in his drafting and engineering shop.[4]: 3–10 Curtiss agreed and this began Verville's aviation career.[8]
I always had that wonderful feeling in flying, no matter what kind of weather ... I just wondered why men hadn't learned to fly years ago, it was so wonderful ... It was a symphony.
Verville excelled as a draftsman and designer, but still wanted to attend flight school and to become anexhibition pilot. After applying and being passed over three times for theCurtiss Flying School, Verville went to Curtiss, who responded: "No, Mr. Verville you don't want to be a pilot. We can get all the pilots we want. What we want are designers. You're [really] a designer and you don't know it."[4]: 10–11 While at Curtiss Aeroplane, Verville took an active part in the development of the transatlantic flying boatAmerica (which was aCurtiss H-2) and theCurtiss Jenny of World War I fame. In the fall of 1914, Verville left the company and joined theAeromarine Plane and Motor Company in New Jersey; shortly thereafter, he joined theThomas-Morse Airplane Company.[4]: 16–18 In March 1915, he returned to Detroit and joined theGeneral Aeroplane Company, where he led his first full design and build to his specifications, the Verville Flying Boat.[9]
On July 9, 1917, Verville married Bertha M. Kamrath inEscanaba, Michigan.[10] He had three children with her, daughters Betty and Janet, and son Myron.[3] Also in 1917, Verville left the General Aeroplane Company to become executive engineer ofFisher Body Corporation, where he supervised the construction ofde Havilland DH-4 airplanes.[9]
In June 1918, Verville joined theEngineering Division of theU.S. Army Air Service (USAAS) as a civilian,[11] and was based out of the USAAS Engineering Division atMcCook Field inDayton, Ohio.[12] In 1920, the young engineer gained national prominence when hisVerville-Packard R-1 won the Pulitzer Speed Classic Trophy at the first heldNational Air Races (atRoosevelt Field, New York) by finishing first out of twenty four other planes, achieving a top speed of 156.54 mph.[13][14][15]
In 1919 Brigadier General Billy Mitchell requested the Engineering Division to design a light-weight "motorcycle of the air" that could operate as a liaison between Army field units. Verville completed the Messenger design in early 1920. The Lawrence Sperry Aircraft Company of Farmingdale was contracted to build five Messengers in April 1920. The first Messenger flight was on November 1. Later designated theVerville-Sperry M-1 Messenger, the plane is notable for its small size, simple construction, and inexpensive cost, which made it ideal for testing and experimentation.[16] TheNational Advisory Committee for Aeronautics used one in its pioneering aerodynamic research programs from 1923 to 1929. Sperry modified twelve into the radio-controlled Messenger Aerial Torpedo and developed the apparatus for a Messenger to make the first successfulairship hook on and release in December 1924.
FollowingWorld War I, in the capacity as an engineering advisor, Verville joined GeneralBilly Mitchell and his aide, LieutenantClayton Bissell, on their sailing trip to Europe in December 1921.[17][18] The three men toured France, Italy, Germany, Holland, and England in order to check on the European progress of aviation. From their research they produced a 206-page report, which was published as a U.S. Army Air Service Information Circular.[19] General Mitchell asked Verville to incorporate some of the European developments they had observed and to produce a plane for the U.S. Army Air Service's participation in the upcoming 1922 National Air Races.[20]
The resulting plane, theVerville-Sperry R-3, was the second plane to utilizeretractable landing gear[21] and incorporated many features advanced for its time. The completion of the R-3 encountered challenges because the plannedCurtiss D-12 engine was not available. So, instead Verville had to use the problematic Wright H-3 (Hispano) engine, which had major vibration issues.[22] Three R-3s competed in the 1922 National Air Races, but only one finished in 5th place with a top speed of 181 mph.[23] After the 1922 race, Verville was able to finally obtain a Curtiss D-12 engine. It was installed on an R-3 and based on trials, it was determined that it could break a world record. On March 31, 1923, withOrville Wright officially observing from the ground, pilot LieutenantAlexander Pearson Jr. set a 500 kmworld speed record of 167.73 mph (269.94 km/h) over a 10-lap course atWilbur Wright Field.[24] For the 1924 National Air Races, his R-3 won the 1924 Pulitzer Speed Trophy at 216 mph.[25][26]
While at the Air Service, Verville was awarded eight aeronautical patents for technologies such as airplane truss design, radiator mounting, and an automatic gun mechanism.[27]
In 1925, Verville left the government service to co-found theBuhl-Verville Aircraft Company with the Buhl family inDetroit.[28] On March 29, 1927, Buhl was awarded the first ApprovedType Certificate[29] for itsBuhl-Verville CA-3 Airster (i.e.A.T.C. No. 1) issued by theAeronautics Branch of theDepartment of Commerce on March 29, 1927.[30][31][32] There were a total of 20 of this aircraft manufactured and it broke a number of speed and endurance records, placing at the top of theFord National Reliability Air Tour and theNational Air Races. Verville was the chief designer from the company's founding in 1925 until 1927.[33]
In 1928, Verville left Buhl-Verville to establish theVerville Aircraft Company, also in Detroit. The company sought to market planes to the wealthy private owner. Verville Aircraft produced theVerville Air Coach, a four-passenger, high-wingmonoplane, which made its debut at the 1929 Detroit Air Show[34] and theVerville Sport Trainer, a two-seat tandem biplane. TheUnited States Army Air Corps purchased four Sport Trainers under the designation YPT-10. The USAAC tested with five different engine versions resulting in YPT-10 thru YPT-10D designations.
Verville joined the Aeronautics Branch of theDepartment of Commerce in 1933. The Aeronautics Branch became theBureau of Air Commerce in 1934. During his time there, Verville served in the following roles: aeronautical engineer; chief of the Manufacturing, Engineering, and Inspections Service; and finally assistant chief of the Aeronautic Development Section.[5] In his role as chief of the Manufacturing, Engineering, and Inspections Service, he was in charge of the reviews for issuingtype certificates for all manufactured airplanes.[35]
Verville left government service to be a consultant for companies includingDouglas Aircraft (1937–38),Curtiss-Wright (1941–42), Snead Aircraft (1942), and the Drexel Aviation Company (1942–45). Verville briefly returned to theBureau of Air Commerce from 1939 to 1941.
In 1945, once again returning to government service, he joined as a member of the Naval Technical Mission to Europe,[36] and later, theU.S. Navy'sBureau of Aeronautics (1946–1961). At theBureau of Aeronautics, from 1950 until his retirement in 1961, Verville was a technical advisor and consultant to the director of the Technical Data Division.[5] Verville retired in 1961 and moved toLa Jolla, California.
He died on March 10, 1970, from a heart attack at age 79.[37][1]
In 1962, Verville was selected as a fellow of the Smithsonian's National Air Museum. He was honored with ten Certificates or Letters of Commendation from the U.S. Armed Forces. He was anhonorary fellow of theSociety of Experimental Test Pilots[38] and was named an Elder Statesman of Aviation by theNational Aeronautic Association in 1956.[39] In 1961, he was elected as a fellow of theAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.[40] In 1991, he was posthumously inducted into theMichigan Aviation Hall of Fame.[38]
The SmithsonianNational Air and Space Museum established theVerville Fellowship in his name, which is a competitive nine-to-twelve month in-residence fellowship for researching the history of aviation.[41] Over 20 boxes of material from Verville's estate are housed at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum'sGarber Facility.[42] A 33 centUnited States Postal Serviceairmail stamp was issued on February 13, 1985, bearing Verville's name, picture, the text "Aviation Pioneer", and an image of his Verville-Sperry R-3 low-wing monoplane.[43]
Over the course of his forty-seven years in designing and building planes, Verville contributed to the design and development of nearly twenty different aircraft. A plane he designed, theVerville-Sperry M-1 Messenger is on permanent exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum'sSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.[44] Another plane he designed, theVerville-Sperry R-3 won first place at the 1924Pulitzer Trophy Races.[26][45] In June 1961, it was honored as one of the twelve most significant aircraft of all time byPopular Mechanics[26] and it was featured on aUSPS airmail stamp issued in 1985.
Curtiss Jenny (1914)
America (1914)
Verville Flying Boat (1916)[46]
Gamma S (1917)[47]
Gamma L (1917)
Verville-Clark-Pursuit 1 & 2 (1920)
Verville-Packard R-1 (1920)
Verville-Sperry M-1 Messenger (1921)
Verville-Sperry R-3 (1922)
Engineering Division TP-1 (1923)
YPT-10 (1925), PrimaryTrainer
Buhl-Verville CA-3/CW-3 Airster (1925–1926)
Verville Air Coach (1929)
Verville Sport Trainer (1930)
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}:|archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)Lieutenant Mosley, in Verville Packard, Averages Almost Three Miles a Minute
On March 31, 1923, Pearson entered a 500-kilometer speed race at Wilbur Wright Field (now Wright-Patterson Air Force Base). Flying a Verville-Sperry monoplane over a 10-lap course, with Orville Write as an official observer, Pearson set a new world speed record of 167.73 miles per hour, wresting the title from a French pilot. (Pearson Air Museum.)
Verville-Sperry Racer (1922). Winner of the 1924 Pulitzer Race at Dayton, Ohio, this neat ship typified an era when designers tried, with very little money, to get maximum performance from the minimum airplane. Its clean lines, thick low wing and retractable landing gear were amazingly prophetic of World War II fighters.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the certification of aircraft in the United States. On March 29, 1927, Type Certificate No. 1 was issued by the newly formed Department of Commerce to the manufacturer of the Buhl-Verville J4 Airster CA-3, a 3-place open land biplane...Prior to that time, the Federal government did not regulate or monitor the design or manufacture of aircraft.
Died. Alfred V. Verville, 79, pioneer aircraft designer who in 1914 with Glenn Curtiss designed the famed Curtiss Jenny, and later as a U.S. Army Air Service engineer developed the nation's first welded-fuselage fighter plane with droppable fuel tanks, the PW-1 Pursuit; of a heart attack; in La Jolla, Calif.
Object: A19580040000
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Processed by Eugene J. Jergens, Jr., March 1987, Revised by Clint Clark, 2006
| General Aeroplane Company | | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Army Air Service | ||
| Buhl | ||
| Verville Aircraft Company | ||
| ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
