George J. Mead
Encyclopedia
George Jackson Mead was an American aircraft engineer. He is best known as one of the chief founding team members, together with Frederick Rentschler, of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft
. Mead and Rentschler left Wright Aeronautical
with the plan to start their own aviation-related business; they founded Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in July 1925. Their first project was to build a new, large, air-cooled
, radial
aircraft engine
of Mead's design, which soon came to be named the Wasp. The first Wasp model was the R-1340, and a large series of Wasp models and Hornet models followed. Mead, as Vice President of Engineering, was the head of engineering for Pratt & Whitney from 1925 to 1935. He later left Pratt & Whitney and its parent United Aircraft
. He served as the president of the U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
(NACA), and he served as head of the aeronautical section of the National Defense Advisory Commission during World War II
, as a manager in the U.S. government's war materiel
production effort.
He graduated from the Choate School in Wallingford, CT in 1911 and attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, but left in 1915 without graduating, owing to health problems.
company of New Brunswick, NJ, builders of the Simplex automobile. Crane-Simplex
later merged with the Wright-Martin Aeronautical Corporation
where Mead was in charge of the experimental division of the engineering department. In 1919 he became chief engineer of what was now the Wright Aeronautical Corporation upon the resignation of Henry Crane.
In late 1924, internal disagreements at Wright resulted in the resignation of President Frederick Rentschler. In 1925, Rentschler obtained financing to start Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Corporation
in the existing factory of the Pratt & Whitney Tool Company
in Hartford, Connecticut
, and Mead left Wright Aeronautical
to join Rentschler as the Vice President of Engineering.
At Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, Mead led the development program for their first engine, completed on Christmas Eve, 1925. The 425 hp (317 kW) R-1340 Wasp easily passed its official qualification test in March 1926, and the Navy ordered 200 engines. The speed, climb, performance, and reliability that the engine offered revolutionized American aviation. Subsequently, he led the development programs of the more powerful R-1690 Hornet and several other series of air-cooled radial aircraft engines.
In 1929, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft was merged with a number of other aviation-related corporations, including Boeing
, Sikorsky
, and Vought
, as part of the new United Aircraft and Transport Corporation
(UATC). Pratt & Whitney became a subsidiary.
In 1930, Rentschler made a difficult decision about which engines to use for the Boeing 247
. Mead insisted on the larger, more powerful Hornets; the pilots of United Airlines insisted on the less powerful Wasps. Fernandez says, "When Rentschler stood by the pilots, Mead took the decision personally. […] He agreed to try to develop a Wasp [capable] of powering the smaller version of his transport plane, but he never forgot the insult. He knew he was right, and within a year so did the rest of the United States."
In 1934, the Air Mail scandal
led to the breakup of UATC, creating, among other new corporations, United Aircraft
. Rentschler decided to turn over the presidency of the Pratt & Whitney subsidiary to a subordinate as he concentrated on leading the parent corporation. Mead and Donald Brown were his two choices for his successor, but Mead did not want the job, and he refused to cooperate with Brown, who became the new president. Brown appointed Leonard S. Hobbs
as engineering manager for Pratt & Whitney, and Mead stayed on as an engineer reporting to Hobbs. It was not so much a demotion as a growing of distance and independence from United Aircraft. Mead was still a person of high authority in the corporation, but something like an officer who resigns his commission. He began to act something like a consultant or engineer emeritus, setting up a design office in his home and not coming to the headquarters as often.
By 1939, Mead's policy disagreements with Rentschler had become so great that he declined reelection to United Aircraft's board of directors. In October 1939, he became president of the U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
(NACA). In May 1940, he was named head of the aeronautical section of the National Defense Advisory Commission by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
. A military buildup was underway. The Lend-Lease
program was still 18 months from being created, and the U.S. did not yet have any certainty of being a combatant in the new war that had erupted, but the program to build up materiel
to send to Britain and France, and to augment the U.S.'s own armed forces, had begun. Roosevelt, acting on William S. Knudsen
's recommendation, had appointed Mead to help coordinate aircraft production. Mead sold his United Aircraft stock to avoid conflict of interest
in his new government procurement position. He was now completely severed from his long tenure at United Aircraft.
Fernandez describes the war years that followed as Knudsen and Mead, now materiel production czars for the U.S. government, interacted with Rentschler and Eugene Wilson of United. United, which lacked plant capacity to satiate the demand, licensed manufacturing of many of its designs to the automakers in Detroit.
In 1946, Mead was presented the Medal for Merit for his efforts in the development and production of aircraft engines used in World War II.
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
. Mead and Rentschler left Wright Aeronautical
Wright Aeronautical
Wright Aeronautical was an aircraft and aircraft engine manufacturer located in New Jersey.-History:This American company evolved from the 1909-1916 Wright Company, which merged with the Glenn L. Martin Company in 1916 to form the Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation. Glenn Martin resigned from...
with the plan to start their own aviation-related business; they founded Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in July 1925. Their first project was to build a new, large, air-cooled
Air-cooled engine
Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over hot parts of the engine to cool them.-Introduction:Most modern internal combustion engines are cooled by a closed circuit carrying liquid coolant through channels in the engine block and cylinder head, where the coolant absorbs heat,...
, radial
Radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders point outward from a central crankshaft like the spokes on a wheel...
aircraft engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
of Mead's design, which soon came to be named the Wasp. The first Wasp model was the R-1340, and a large series of Wasp models and Hornet models followed. Mead, as Vice President of Engineering, was the head of engineering for Pratt & Whitney from 1925 to 1935. He later left Pratt & Whitney and its parent United Aircraft
United Aircraft
The United Aircraft Corporation was formed in 1934 at the break-up of United Aircraft and Transport Corporation. In 1975, the company became the United Technologies Corporation.-1930s:...
. He served as the president of the U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics was a U.S. federal agency founded on March 3, 1915 to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. On October 1, 1958 the agency was dissolved, and its assets and personnel transferred to the newly created National Aeronautics and...
(NACA), and he served as head of the aeronautical section of the National Defense Advisory Commission during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, as a manager in the U.S. government's war materiel
Materiel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
production effort.
Early life
Mead was born in Everett, Massachusetts on December 27, 1891, to Dr. George Nathaniel Plumer Mead and Jennie Henrietta Mathilda LeMann Mead.He graduated from the Choate School in Wallingford, CT in 1911 and attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, but left in 1915 without graduating, owing to health problems.
Career
Mead worked for well over a year at Sterling Engine Company of Buffalo, NY. His next job was with the Crane-SimplexCrane-Simplex
Not to be confused with American SimplexCrane-Simplex is a defunct car manufacturer, operating in New York City, USA at the beginning of the 20th century.-History:...
company of New Brunswick, NJ, builders of the Simplex automobile. Crane-Simplex
Crane-Simplex
Not to be confused with American SimplexCrane-Simplex is a defunct car manufacturer, operating in New York City, USA at the beginning of the 20th century.-History:...
later merged with the Wright-Martin Aeronautical Corporation
Wright Aeronautical
Wright Aeronautical was an aircraft and aircraft engine manufacturer located in New Jersey.-History:This American company evolved from the 1909-1916 Wright Company, which merged with the Glenn L. Martin Company in 1916 to form the Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation. Glenn Martin resigned from...
where Mead was in charge of the experimental division of the engineering department. In 1919 he became chief engineer of what was now the Wright Aeronautical Corporation upon the resignation of Henry Crane.
In late 1924, internal disagreements at Wright resulted in the resignation of President Frederick Rentschler. In 1925, Rentschler obtained financing to start Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Corporation
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
in the existing factory of the Pratt & Whitney Tool Company
Pratt & Whitney Measurement Systems
Pratt & Whitney Measurement Systems is a multinational corporation that specializes in producing high-precision measuring instruments and systems.-History:...
in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, and Mead left Wright Aeronautical
Wright Aeronautical
Wright Aeronautical was an aircraft and aircraft engine manufacturer located in New Jersey.-History:This American company evolved from the 1909-1916 Wright Company, which merged with the Glenn L. Martin Company in 1916 to form the Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation. Glenn Martin resigned from...
to join Rentschler as the Vice President of Engineering.
At Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, Mead led the development program for their first engine, completed on Christmas Eve, 1925. The 425 hp (317 kW) R-1340 Wasp easily passed its official qualification test in March 1926, and the Navy ordered 200 engines. The speed, climb, performance, and reliability that the engine offered revolutionized American aviation. Subsequently, he led the development programs of the more powerful R-1690 Hornet and several other series of air-cooled radial aircraft engines.
In 1929, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft was merged with a number of other aviation-related corporations, including Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, Sikorsky
Sikorsky Aircraft
The Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Stratford, Connecticut. Its parent company is United Technologies Corporation.-History:...
, and Vought
Vought
Vought is the name of several related aerospace firms. These have included, in the past, Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace , Vought Aircraft Companies, and the current Vought Aircraft Industries. The first incarnation of Vought was established by Chance M...
, as part of the new United Aircraft and Transport Corporation
United Aircraft and Transport Corporation
The United Aircraft and Transport Corporation was formed in 1929, when William Boeing of the Boeing firms teamed up with Frederick Rentschler of Pratt & Whitney to form a large, amalgamated firm, uniting business interests in all aspects of aviation—a combination of aircraft engine and airframe...
(UATC). Pratt & Whitney became a subsidiary.
In 1930, Rentschler made a difficult decision about which engines to use for the Boeing 247
Boeing 247
The Boeing Model 247 was an early United States airliner, considered the first such aircraft to fully incorporate advances such as all-metal semi-monocoque construction, a fully cantilevered wing and retractable landing gear...
. Mead insisted on the larger, more powerful Hornets; the pilots of United Airlines insisted on the less powerful Wasps. Fernandez says, "When Rentschler stood by the pilots, Mead took the decision personally. […] He agreed to try to develop a Wasp [capable] of powering the smaller version of his transport plane, but he never forgot the insult. He knew he was right, and within a year so did the rest of the United States."
In 1934, the Air Mail scandal
Air Mail Scandal
The Air Mail scandal, also known as the Air Mail fiasco, is the name that the American press gave to the political scandal resulting from a congressional investigation of a 1930 meeting , between Postmaster General Walter Folger Brown and the executives of the top airlines, and to the disastrous...
led to the breakup of UATC, creating, among other new corporations, United Aircraft
United Aircraft
The United Aircraft Corporation was formed in 1934 at the break-up of United Aircraft and Transport Corporation. In 1975, the company became the United Technologies Corporation.-1930s:...
. Rentschler decided to turn over the presidency of the Pratt & Whitney subsidiary to a subordinate as he concentrated on leading the parent corporation. Mead and Donald Brown were his two choices for his successor, but Mead did not want the job, and he refused to cooperate with Brown, who became the new president. Brown appointed Leonard S. Hobbs
Leonard S. Hobbs
Leonard S. Hobbs was an aeronautical engineer who started in 1920 with the Army Air Service at McCook Field in Dayton, Ohio and later worked for Stromberg Motor Devices Corporation. He developed the first float-type carburetor for aircraft engines that was capable of providing normal operation...
as engineering manager for Pratt & Whitney, and Mead stayed on as an engineer reporting to Hobbs. It was not so much a demotion as a growing of distance and independence from United Aircraft. Mead was still a person of high authority in the corporation, but something like an officer who resigns his commission. He began to act something like a consultant or engineer emeritus, setting up a design office in his home and not coming to the headquarters as often.
By 1939, Mead's policy disagreements with Rentschler had become so great that he declined reelection to United Aircraft's board of directors. In October 1939, he became president of the U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics was a U.S. federal agency founded on March 3, 1915 to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. On October 1, 1958 the agency was dissolved, and its assets and personnel transferred to the newly created National Aeronautics and...
(NACA). In May 1940, he was named head of the aeronautical section of the National Defense Advisory Commission by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
. A military buildup was underway. The Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
program was still 18 months from being created, and the U.S. did not yet have any certainty of being a combatant in the new war that had erupted, but the program to build up materiel
Materiel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
to send to Britain and France, and to augment the U.S.'s own armed forces, had begun. Roosevelt, acting on William S. Knudsen
William S. Knudsen
William Signius Knudsen was a leading automotive industry executive. His experience and success as a key senior manager in the operations sides of Ford Motor Company and later General Motors led the Franklin Roosevelt Administration to commission him as a Lieutenant General in the United States...
's recommendation, had appointed Mead to help coordinate aircraft production. Mead sold his United Aircraft stock to avoid conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
in his new government procurement position. He was now completely severed from his long tenure at United Aircraft.
Fernandez describes the war years that followed as Knudsen and Mead, now materiel production czars for the U.S. government, interacted with Rentschler and Eugene Wilson of United. United, which lacked plant capacity to satiate the demand, licensed manufacturing of many of its designs to the automakers in Detroit.
Awards
In January of 1940, Mead received the Reed award for outstanding achievement in aviation.In 1946, Mead was presented the Medal for Merit for his efforts in the development and production of aircraft engines used in World War II.