Donald Wills Douglas Sr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Donald Willis Douglas Sr.
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Douglas in 1935
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| Born | April 6, 1892 |
| Died | February 1, 1981 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S., Aeronautical Engineering, 1914) |
| Known for | Douglas Aircraft Company |
Donald Wills Douglas Sr. (born April 6, 1892 – died February 1, 1981) was an American aircraft designer and builder. He was a true pioneer in aviation.
Donald Douglas founded the famous Douglas Aircraft Company in 1921. This company later joined with McDonnell Aircraft to become McDonnell Douglas. Under his leadership, his company became one of the biggest names in commercial airplanes. He was in a long competition with William Boeing and his company, Boeing.
Douglas became very successful, especially with his amazing Douglas DC-3 passenger plane. This plane was also used a lot by the military during World War II as the C-47. At the start of the war, 80% of all commercial planes were made by Douglas! However, he fell behind when jet planes became popular. He retired in 1957.
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Early Life and His Love for Airplanes
Donald Douglas was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was interested in aviation from a young age. When he was just 16, in 1908, he went to see the Wright Flyer airplane trials.
He even built model airplanes in his room at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. In 1912, he decided to leave the academy. He wanted to focus on becoming an aeronautical engineer, someone who designs airplanes.
After trying to get jobs with other airplane builders, Douglas went to the MIT. He earned his degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1914. He was the very first person to get this kind of degree from MIT! He finished the four-year course in only two years.
Starting His Airplane Career
In 1915, Douglas joined the Connecticut Aircraft Company. There, he helped design the Navy's first airship, the DN-1. Later that year, he became the chief engineer at the Glenn L. Martin Company. He was only 23 years old! He designed the Martin S seaplane there.
He also worked for the US Army Signal Corps as a chief engineer. Then he returned to the Glenn L. Martin Company and designed the Martin MB-1 bomber.
In 1920, Douglas moved back to California. He had married Charlotte Marguerite Ogg in 1916, and they had four sons and one daughter.
He soon started his first airplane company, the Davis-Douglas Company. He teamed up with David Davis. Their goal was to build a plane that could fly across the United States without stopping. This plane was called the Douglas Cloudster. Even though it didn't complete the non-stop flight, it was the first plane that could carry more weight than the plane itself! After this, David Davis left, and Douglas started the Douglas Aircraft Company.
Douglas Aircraft During World War II
Donald Douglas was not only a great engineer but also very smart about the future. Before Pearl Harbor and the start of World War II for the U.S., he knew that American aviation would be very important.
He believed the industry could build all the planes needed for the war. He helped change how planes were made, moving from building a few at a time to using production lines. This meant making many planes quickly.
The aircraft industry grew incredibly fast during the war. In less than five years, it went from being a small industry to the biggest in the United States. Douglas Aircraft, which started with only 68 employees in 1922, became the fourth largest business in the country.
Donald Douglas once said, "Here's proof that free men can out-produce slaves." This showed his belief that the American way of making things was stronger than that of other countries.
After the War and His Legacy
Donald Douglas Sr. retired in 1957. His son, Donald Douglas Jr., took over as the company president. Donald Sr. remained the chairman of the board.
In 1967, the Douglas company faced challenges. They were struggling to build enough DC-8 and DC-9 passenger planes. They also had issues with money and making the A-4 Skyhawk military planes. Because of these problems, Douglas Aircraft decided to merge with McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. They formed McDonnell Douglas on April 28, 1967.
Donald Douglas Sr. stayed involved as an honorary chairman until he passed away on February 1, 1981, at 88 years old. He loved the sea, so his ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.
In 1997, McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing. This marked the end of the Douglas name in the aviation world, but his legacy lives on through the many planes he designed and the company he built.
Awards and Honors
Donald Douglas Sr. received many awards and honors for his contributions to aviation:
- Collier Trophy (1926)
- Guggenheim Medal (1939)
- LL.D from University of California, Los Angeles (1947)
- US Certificate of Merit (1948)
- Commander's Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau (1950)
- Légion d'honneur (1951)
- USAF Exceptional Service Award (1953)
- Royal Order of the Dannebrog (1955)
- Elmer A. Sperry Award (1956)
- Franklin Medal (1958)
- Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy (1963)
- Tony Jannus Award (1966)
- Inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame (1967)
- National Aviation Hall of Fame (1969)
- NAS Award in Aeronautical Engineering from the National Academy of Sciences (1973)
- Inducted into the Airlift/Tanker Association Hall of Fame (1990)
There is a statue of Donald Douglas Sr. at the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, California. This museum also has a recreation of his office and the Douglas Aircraft Company boardroom.
Another statue of Douglas is in Douglas Park in Long Beach, California. This park is on the site of a former McDonnell Douglas plant.
A bust of Douglas and a special plaque for him are located at the Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair County, Illinois.
Douglas Park in Santa Monica, California is also named after him.
