German aircraft engineer (1894?1979)
Richard Vogt
(19 December 1894 ? January 1979) was a military
German
aircraft
designer who was known for his original airframes, including the
asymmetrical
BV 141
during
World War II
. After the war, he moved to the United States as part of
Operation Paperclip
, where he worked on American military aircraft design.
Early life
[
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]
Richard Vogt was born in
Schwabisch Gmund
, a town in the
Kingdom of Wurttemberg
, which at that time was a constituent state of the
German Empire
. He was the seventh child of twelve
siblings
.
He was admitted to a school of universal
literacy education
in
Stuttgart-Cannstatt
. When he was a student at the school, he had an opportunity get to know
Ernst Heinkel
. In 1912, when he was 18 years old, Vogt built his first aeroplane. With the help of a friend and under the eye of Heinkel, he attempted unsuccessfully to fly it just outside
Mutlangen
, a neighboring town to Schwabisch Gmund.
World War I
[
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After school Vogt worked for a year at an engine factory in
Ludwigshafen
. With the outbreak of
World War I
, he was conscripted into the military of the
German Empire
. There he was wounded in action, and medically evacuated back to Germany. Vogt then trained as a
pilot
in
Halberstadt
.
Career
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On being discharged from military service in August 1916 Vogt found work at the
Zeppelin works
in
Friedrichshafen
. While there, he was impressed by
Claudius Dornier
and determined to become an aircraft designer. After the war, he completed a two-year course at the
Technical University
in
Stuttgart
, and subsequently served as an assistant to Professor Baumann at the university's Institute of Aeronautical and Automobile Systems until 1922. During that period he was awarded his first
patent
and received a
doctorate degree
.
Kawasaki
[
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On behalf of Dornier, Vogt was briefly sent to
Italy
, then in 1923, to
Kawasaki
in
Kobe
,
Japan
, which was a licensed manufacturer of
Dornier
aircraft. In Japan he was appointed as chief designer, and he trained the young Japanese engineer
Takeo Doi
to be his successor. Doi later designed the
Ki-61
Hien
. During that period Vogt designed several types including the
KDA-5 Army Type 92
biplane
fighter
plane,
KDA-2 Army Type 88
biplane reconnaissance,
KDA-3
single-seat fighter, and (in cooperation with Doi) a modified version of the KDA-5 Army Type 92-I biplane fighter. He stayed with Kawasaki until 1933.
Blohm & Voss
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The
BV 138
Seedrache
(English:
Sea Dragon
) three-engined patrol flying boat was produced in greater numbers than any other B&V type.
A
BV 141
tactical reconnaissance prototype with an unusual asymmetrical shape.
In 1933 he was offered the position of Chief Designer at
Hamburger Flugzeugbau
, an aircraft manufacturer recently established by
Blohm & Voss
shipbuilders. During his flight back from Japan he worked on the idea of a tubular steel main wing
spar
which could also double as an armoured
fuel tank
. Almost all of his subsequent designs would feature such a combined hollow steel spar and fuel tank.
Vogt's next major innovation was an asymmetric aircraft layout in which the thrust line was offset to one side, allowing the pilot a clear view on the other side. It appeared in the
Ha 141
reconnaissance aircraft. Approximately 20 were built.
Shortly before
World War II
broke out, Hamburger Flugzeugbau was reformed as the aircraft division of Blohm & Voss and changed its name accordingly. The designation of Vogt's aircraft changed from Ha to BV, with many of the types then under development changing their designations, for example the Ha 141 became the BV 141.
Other important, more conventional designs included a series of ever-larger
flying boats
. The
BV 238
was the largest and heaviest aircraft manufactured until the end of the war by any Axis power. Vogt also developed a series of gliding munitions, but the advanced control systems caused problems and although quite large quantities were manufactured, none saw operational service.
His design style was noted by the British journal
Aeroplane
in the caption to a cartoon:
[1]
Richard Vogt, that original man,
Turns out aeroplanes uglier than
Most any other designer can.
Here is shown on Baltic Sea
A typical Vogt monstrosity?
The One-Three-Eight by B. & V.
Vogt's final innovation was a tailless "pfeilflieger" (swept wing) design, well suited to the new
jet engines
then under development. A series of designs culminated in the
P 215
all-weather fighter, which received an order for three prototypes just weeks before the war ended.
[2]
[3]
American "Paperclip"
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After
World War II
, Vogt was recruited by the
US Air Force
under "
Operation Paperclip
", and he moved to the
United States
. He worked as a civilian employee for the Research Laboratory of the US Air Force in
Dayton, Ohio
from the beginning of 1947 to 1954. Later he became the chief designer of the
Aerophysics Development Corporation
and worked there until the parent company closed the business in 1960.
From August 1960 to August 1966, he served as a staff member on the team of
George S. Schairer
, who was the chief
aerodynamicist
in the research and testing division of
Boeing
. At Boeing, Vogt was involved in the design of
vertical takeoff
systems and
hydrofoils
. He also investigated the effect of the length and shape of wings on the flying range, and he proved that small extensions attached to both tips of the wings improved the
aerodynamics
and increased the operational range of the aircraft. This finding has been widely used in modern aircraft, where the extensions are known as
wing tips
or
winglets
. His last assignment was the after-launch evaluation of the design of the
Boeing 747
.
Retirement
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After retiring from Boeing, he enjoyed developing a safe
sailboat
that would not capsize, and he wrote his memoirs. In 1977 a fire destroyed his house, resulting in the loss of many personal and technical documents.
Death
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In January 1979 he died of
myocardial infarction
in
Santa Barbara
,
California
, at age 84.
Personal life
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Vogt was married and had two sons.
Aircraft designed
[
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These types were all built and flown.
- In Japan
[4]
- In Germany
[8]
- Hamburger Flugzeugbau Ha 136
Advanced monoplane trainer (1934, two were built)
- Hamburger Flugzeugbau Ha 137
Close-support aircraft/dive bomber (1935, six were built)
- Blohm & Voss BV 138
Maritime reconnaissance flying boat (1937, 279 were built)
- Blohm & Voss Ha 139
Transport / reconnaissance seaplane (1936)
- Blohm & Voss Ha 140
Torpedo bomber seaplane (1937, four were built)
- Blohm & Voss BV 141
Reconnaissance aircraft (1938, 38 were built)
- Blohm & Voss BV 142
Landplane version of the BV 139 transport
- Blohm & Voss BV 143
Prototype rocket-assisted glide bomb
- Blohm & Voss BV 144
Tilt-wing transport, built in France
- Blohm & Voss BV 155
High-altitude interceptor (1944, three were built)
- Blohm & Voss BV 222
Transport / reconnaissance flying boat
Viking
(1940, 13 were built)
- Blohm & Voss BV 238
Reconnaissance flying boat (1944, one was built)
- Blohm & Voss BV 246
Radio-guidable glide bomb (1945, approximately 1,100 were built)
- Blohm & Voss BV 40
Interceptor glider
Writings
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- Vogt, Richard (1976).
Weltumspannende Memoiren eines Flugzeugkonstrukteurs
[
Global memoirs of an aircraft designer
] (in German).
ISBN
978-3-934596-14-6
.
References
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Notes
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]
Bibliography
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]
- Hermann Pohlmann;
Chronik Eines Flugzeugwerkes 1932-45
, 2nd Impression, Motorbuch, 1982.
External links
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