Etienne Dormoy | |
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| Born | (1885-02-10)10 February 1885 Vandoncourt, France |
| Died | 28 February 1959(1959-02-28) (aged 74) San Diego, California, US |
| Alma mater | École Centrale de Lille |
| Occupation | Aeronautical engineer |
| Known for | Pioneering contributions tocivil andmilitary aviation design |
Étienne Dormoy (10 February 1885, inVandoncourt, France – 28 February 1959, inSan Diego, US) was an aeronautical engineer and a designer of aircraft.
Etienne Dormoy graduated in 1906 as an electrical engineer fromInstitut industriel du Nord (École Centrale de Lille, France). He worked as an aircraft designer forDeperdussin (Deperdussin Monocoque (SPAD)) in France.
He metHarold D. Kantner in France in 1913. He was then seconded to Maximilian Schmitt Aeroplane & Motor Works (Paterson, New Jersey), wherein he designed the firstmonocoque fuselage aircraft produced in the US. With thismonoplane, Harold D. Kantner won theNew York Times race on 4 April 1914. The aircraft was re-engineered as abiplane with a 100 hp engine and tested for military applications at San Diego, California.
Dormoy returned to France at the beginning of World War I, working for theSociété Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés (SPAD). In 1917, he joined the French industry delegation in the United States for SPAD technology transfer toCurtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company at Elmwood (Buffalo, New York).
After the war, Dormoy worked for theEngineering Division of theUnited States Army Air Service atMcCook Field (Dayton, Ohio) from 1919 to 1925. There, he testedaerial applications, including a United States Army Air ServiceCurtiss JN-4 modified for aerial crop dusting in 1921.[1] AtMcCook Field, he designed the ultra-lightDormoy Bathtub in 1924, after two prototypes built in 1919 and 1920. Dormoy earned the 'Dayton Daily News Light Airplane Race and Rickenbacker Trophy' in 1924.
Dormoy joinedBuhl Aircraft Company in Detroit, MI, from 1925 to 1932, wherein he designed several types of sport and utility aircraft. Dormoy contributed to the first type-approval of a US aircraft (US type certificate n°1 - March 1927 forBuhl-Verville CA-3/J-4 Airster). Acting as Buhl's chief engineer, Dormoy designed theBuhl Airsedan in 1928 (number built > 60) and the cheapBuhl Bull Pup in 1930 (number built > 100) that were relative successes at the onset of the Great Depression. Buhl Airsedan Spokane Sun God was used to make the first nonstop roundtrip flight across the United States in August 1929. Dormoy also prototyped theBuhl A-1 Autogyro, world firstautogyro with rear propulsion motor in 1931.
Dormoy joinedBoeing in Seattle, Washington, around 1932/1934 andConsolidated Aircraft Corporation of San Diego (Convair-General Dynamics) in San Diego, California, from 1936 to 1958.
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