John M. Riebe
Encyclopedia
John Michael Riebe was an American
aeronautical engineer and inventor who contributed to the early designs of flight surfaces. Other significant contributions included being project engineer in the development of the Grumman F8F fighter
, involvement with short takeoff and landing projects for airline terminals
, and work on control systems for rockets, flying boat
s, Delta wing
s and powered lift systems
. He performed tests in the numerous wind tunnels of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
' Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Langley Field, Virginia
(now NASA
's Langley Research Center
in Langley Air Force Base, Virginia
), where he was employed.
Many of the tests he performed, as well as the resulting data and reports, were classified at the time because they were wartime reports, but have been since unclassified and available to the general public.
, Pennsylvania
, the United States of America
. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in Troy
, New York
and graduated with a Bachelor of Aeronatical Engineering. He began working at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
on 3 January 1943. On 19 August 1946, he received an honorable discharge
from the United States Army
. He then went on to produce 60 publications and five patents. He retired from NACA
(which had become NASA
) in December 1974.
[forthcoming]
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aeronautical engineer and inventor who contributed to the early designs of flight surfaces. Other significant contributions included being project engineer in the development of the Grumman F8F fighter
F8F Bearcat
The Grumman F8F Bearcat was an American single-engine naval fighter aircraft of the 1940s. It went on to serve into the mid-20th century in the United States Navy and other air forces, and would be the company's final piston engined fighter aircraft...
, involvement with short takeoff and landing projects for airline terminals
Airport terminal
An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from aircraft....
, and work on control systems for rockets, flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
s, Delta wing
Delta wing
The delta wing is a wing planform in the form of a triangle. It is named for its similarity in shape to the Greek uppercase letter delta .-Delta-shaped stabilizers:...
s and powered lift systems
Powered lift
Powered lift or powered-lift refers to a type of aircraft that can take off and land vertically and functions differently from a rotorcraft in horizontal flight....
. He performed tests in the numerous wind tunnels of the 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...
' Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Langley Field, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
(now NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Langley Research Center
Langley Research Center
Langley Research Center is the oldest of NASA's field centers, located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It directly borders Poquoson, Virginia and Langley Air Force Base...
in Langley Air Force Base, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
), where he was employed.
Many of the tests he performed, as well as the resulting data and reports, were classified at the time because they were wartime reports, but have been since unclassified and available to the general public.
Biography
John Michael Riebe was born on 8 May 1921, in LansfordLansford, Pennsylvania
Lansford is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, located northwest of Allentown and 9 miles south of Hazleton. Settled in 1845, Lansford was incorporated in 1876. In 1900, 4,888 people lived in Lansford; in 1910, 8,321 people inhabited it, and in 1940, 8,710 residents called Lansford home....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
in Troy
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and graduated with a Bachelor of Aeronatical Engineering. He began working at the 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...
on 3 January 1943. On 19 August 1946, he received an honorable discharge
Military discharge
A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve.-United States:Discharge or separation should not be confused with retirement; career U.S...
from the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. He then went on to produce 60 publications and five patents. He retired from NACA
NACA
- Organizations :* National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the forerunner of the U.S. federal agency NASA* National Association for Campus Activities, an organization for programmers of university and college activities...
(which had become NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
) in December 1974.
NACA/NASA Publications
The following is a list (not exhaustive) of the research papers published by Mr. Riebe et al., which ends at 1962:- 1943 Wind-tunnel Investigation of an NACA 23012 Airfoil with a 0.30-Airfoil-Chord Double Slotted Flap. with Purser, Paul E. & Fischel, Jack
- 1943 Wind-tunnel Investigation of Control-Surface Characteristics. XV - Various Contour Modifications of a 0.30-Airfoil-Chord Plain Flap on an NACA 66(215)-014 Airfoil. with Purser, Paul E.
- 1944 Wind-Tunnel Tests of a 1/16-Scale Model of the Martin PBM-3 Airplane without Power. with Rossi, Peter F.
- 1944 Wind-tunnel investigation of an NACA 23021 airfoil with a 0.32-airfoil-chord double slotted flap. with Fischel, Jack
- 1944 Wind-Tunnel Tests of a 1/8-Scale Model of the Curtiss XBTC-2 (Model B) Airplane. IV - Wing- and Fuselage-Dive Brake Characteristics.
- 1945 Wind-Tunnel Investigation of Control-Surface Characteristics. XXI - A Medium and Large Aerodynamic Balance of Two Nose Shapes and a Plain Overhang Used with a 40-Percent-Chord Flap on NACA 009 Airfoil. with Church, Oleta
- 1945 Wind-Tunnel Tests of a 1/8-Scale Model of the Curtiss XBTC-2 (Model B) Airplane. I - Longitudinal Stability and Ground Effect. with Rossi, Peter F. & Wells, Evalyn G.
- 1945 Wind-Tunnel Tests of a 1/5 Scale Powered Model of the Grumman XF8F-1 Airplane. I - Pressure Measurements in the Charge-Air and Oil-Cooler Ducts. with Comisarow, Paul
- 1945 Wind-Tunnel Tests of a 1/5-Scale Powered Model of the Grumman XF8F-1 Airplane. II - Longitudinal Stability and Control. with Spear, Margaret F.
- 1945 Wind-Tunnel Investigation of Control-Surface Characteristics. XXII - Medium and Large Aerodynamic Balances of Two Nose Shapes and a Plain Overhang Used with a 0.20-Airfoil-Chord Flap on an NACA 009 Airfoil. with McKinney, Elizabeth G.
- 1945 Wind-Tunnel Tests of a 1/5-Scale Powered Model of the Grumman XF8F-1 Airplane. V - Estimated Flying Qualities. with Watson, James M. & Comisarow, Paul
- 1946 Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Flying-Boat Hull Having a Length-Beam Ratio of 15. with Naeseth, Rodger L.
- 1947 Effect of Length-Beam Ratio on the Aerodynamic Characteristics of Flying-Boat Hulls with Yates, Campbell C.
- 1947 Aerodynamic Characteristics of Three Planing-Tail Flying-Boat Hulls with Yates, Campbell C.
- 1947 Effect of Aerodynamic Refinement on the Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Flying-Boat Hull with Naeseth, Rodger L.
- 1947 High-Speed Wind-Tunnel Investigation of a Flying-Boat Hull with High Length-Beam Ratio with Naeseth, Rodger L.
- 1948 High-Speed Wind-Tunnel Investigation of a Flying-Boat Hull with High Length-Beam Ratio with Naeseth, Rodger L.
- 1948 Effect of Length-Beam Ratio on Aerodynamic Characteristics of Flying-Boat Hulls without Wing Interference with Lowry, John G.
- 1948 Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Defined Deep-Step Planing-Tail Flying-Boat Hull with Various Forebody and Afterbody Shapes with Naeseth, Rodger L.
- 1948 Aerodynamic Characteristics of Three Deep-Step Planing-Tail Flying-Boat Hulls with Naeseth, Rodger L.
- 1948 Aerodynamic Characteristics of Flying-Boat Hulls Having Length-Beam Ratios of 20 and 30
- 1949 Preliminary aerodynamic investigation of the effect of camber on a 60 degree delta wing with round and beveled leading edges with Fikes, Joseph E.
- 1949 Preliminary wind-tunnel investigation at high-subsonic speeds of planing-tail, blended, and airfoil-forebody swept hulls with Macleod, Richard G.
- 1950 The effect of end plates on swept wings at low speed with Watson, James M.
- 1951 Stability and control characteristics at low speed of a 1 5-scale model of the EDO 142 hydro-ski research airplane with Macleod, Richard G. & Moseley, William C., Jr
- 1952 Aerodynamic Characteristics of the Deep-Step Planing-Tail Flying-Boat Hulls and a Transverse-Step Hull with Extended Afterbody. with Naeseth, Rodger L.
- 1952 An investigation of a 0.16-scale model of the Douglas X-3 airplane to determine means of improving the low-speed longitudinal stability and control characteristics with Mckee, John W.
- 1952 Aerodynamic characteristics of a refined deep-step planing-tail flying-boat hull with various forebody and afterbody shapes with Naeseth, Rodger L.
- 1952 Aerodynamic characteristics of three deep-step planing-tail flying-boat hulls and a transverse-step hull with extended afterbody with Naeseth, Rodger L.
- 1953 The effects of fuselage size on the low-speed longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of a thin 60 degree delta wing with and without a double slotted flap
- 1953 Aerodynamic characteristics of a refined deep-step planing-tail flying-boat hull with various forebody and afterbody shapes with Naeseth, Rodger L.
- 1953 Low-speed investigation of the effects of location of a delta horizontal tail on the longitudinal stability and control of a fuselage and thin delta wing with double slotted flaps including the effects of a ground board with Graven, Jean C., Jr
- 1953 Low-speed wind-tunnel investigation of a thin 60 degree delta wing with double slotted, single slotted, plain, and split flaps with Macleod, Richard G.
- 1954 Low-speed investigation of the effects of location of a delta and a straight tail on the longitudinal stability and control of a thin delta wing with extended double slotted flaps with Graven, Jean C., Jr
- 1955 A correlation of two-dimensional data on lift coefficient available with blowing-, suction-, slotted-, and plain-flap high -lift devices
- 1956 Wind-tunnel investigation of jet-augmented flaps on a rectangular wing to high momentum coefficients with Lockwood, Vernard E. & Turner, Thomas R.
- 1956 Low-speed stability characteristics of a cambered-delta-wing model with Moseley, William C., Jr
- 1958 Exploratory wind-tunnel investigation to determine the lift effects of blowing over flaps from nacelles mounted above the wing with Davenport, Edwin E.
Patents
The following is a list of patents owned by Mr. Riebe et al., which have since expired:[forthcoming]