William R. Sears
Encyclopedia
William Rees Sears was a notable aeronautical engineer and educator.
, the son of William and Gertrude Sears. He earned his BS degree from the University of Minnesota
in 1934. Following this, he enrolled at Caltech to study under Theodore von Kármán
, director of the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory
(GALCIT). There he met von Kármán's secretary, Mabel Rhodes and they were soon married. Sears was awarded his PhD in 1938, writing a thesis concerning airfoils in non-steady motion, a work that laid the foundations for future developments in that field.
In 1937, Sears was appointed instructor in aeronautics at Caltech, and in 1940, he was promoted to assistant professor. Several of his colleagues in these years included Qian Xuesen and Frank Malina
. Through von Kármán’s friendship with Jack Northrop, Sears became involved in consulting on aerodynamic problems at Northrop Aircraft In 1941, Sears accepted Jack Northrop’s offer to be chief of aerodynamics and flight testing.
When Sears was a junior faculty member at Caltech, he was asked to direct the Civilian Pilot Training Program, a federal program that offered young people the possibility of earning a private pilot’s license and receiving preparation for possible military flying in the event that the United States entered the war. Sears not only administered the program but took the opportunity to get his own pilot's license.
At Northrop, Sears headed the team that designed the Northrop N-1M
, which later led to the Northrop N9M, Northrop XB-35 and Northrop YB-49
flying wing aircraft. He also led the team that developed the Northrop P-61 Black Widow. At the end of World War II, he accompanied group of aeronautical experts led by Von Kármán to Germany to investigate the German progress in aerodynamics research.
Sears chose to return to academic life in 1946. He joined the faculty of Cornell University
as the founder and first director of its Graduate School of Aeronautical Engineering. Within a few years, the Cornell Graduate School of Aeronautical Engineering was ranked among the world’s best. He and his many students pioneered research in wing theory, unsteady flow, magnetohydrodynamics, and designed a sophisticated wind tunnel design to study transonic flight. He remained very close to von Kármán, who was a frequent visitor to the Cornell aero school. In 1962, Sears was named the J. L. Given Professor of Engineering, and in 1963, he stepped down as director of the aero school after 17 years. A year earlier he had founded and became director of Cornell’s Center of Applied Mathematics.
Although his work at Northrop offered him little opportunity to fly, his move to Cornell provided more opportunity. In more than 50 years as a private pilot, he logged 8,000 hours before retiring from flying in 1990. He owned several aircraft over the years, including a Mooney M-18 Mite, a Beech A35 Bonanza, a Piper Comanche and finally a Piper Twin Comanche.
In 1974, after 28 years at Cornell, Sears joined the faculty of the department of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Arizona
. Four years later, he was named emeritus professor but remained an active faculty member and completed much of his important analytical and experimental work on adaptive-wall wind tunnels during these years.
, the National Academy of Engineering
, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, and Mexico’s Academia Nacional de Ingeniería. He was an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
and was editor of the Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences from 1955 to 1963. During his lifetime, he received many honors and awards, including the Guggenheim Medal and the Prandtl Ring of the German Aeronautical Society. In 1988, Caltech gave him its Distinguished Alumni Award. He was also named an outstanding alumnus of the University of Minnesota and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Arizona.
Sears was also an accomplished musician, first as a percussionist. He worked his way through college as a drummer in dance bands and, after moving to California, was tympanist with the Pasadena Symphony for several seasons. Later, at Cornell, he became an expert recorder player with a university group interested in medieval music. He played with the Collegium Musicum at the University of Arizona for 20 years.
Career
William R. Sears was born in Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, the son of William and Gertrude Sears. He earned his BS degree from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1934. Following this, he enrolled at Caltech to study under Theodore von Kármán
Theodore von Karman
Theodore von Kármán was a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer and physicist who was active primarily in the fields of aeronautics and astronautics. He is responsible for many key advances in aerodynamics, notably his work on supersonic and hypersonic airflow characterization...
, director of the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory
Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory
The Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology , was a research institute created in 1926, at first specializing in aeronautics research. In 1930, Hungarian scientist Theodore von Kármán accepted the directorship of the lab and emigrated to the United States. Under...
(GALCIT). There he met von Kármán's secretary, Mabel Rhodes and they were soon married. Sears was awarded his PhD in 1938, writing a thesis concerning airfoils in non-steady motion, a work that laid the foundations for future developments in that field.
In 1937, Sears was appointed instructor in aeronautics at Caltech, and in 1940, he was promoted to assistant professor. Several of his colleagues in these years included Qian Xuesen and Frank Malina
Frank Malina
Frank Joseph Malina was an American aeronautical engineer and painter, especially known for becoming both a pioneer in the art world and the realm of scientific engineering.-Early life:...
. Through von Kármán’s friendship with Jack Northrop, Sears became involved in consulting on aerodynamic problems at Northrop Aircraft In 1941, Sears accepted Jack Northrop’s offer to be chief of aerodynamics and flight testing.
When Sears was a junior faculty member at Caltech, he was asked to direct the Civilian Pilot Training Program, a federal program that offered young people the possibility of earning a private pilot’s license and receiving preparation for possible military flying in the event that the United States entered the war. Sears not only administered the program but took the opportunity to get his own pilot's license.
At Northrop, Sears headed the team that designed the Northrop N-1M
Northrop N-1M
|-See also:-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Coleman, Ted. Jack Northrop and the Flying Wing: The Real Story Behind the Stealth Bomber. New York: Paragon House, 1988. ISBN 1-55778-079-X....
, which later led to the Northrop N9M, Northrop XB-35 and Northrop YB-49
Northrop YB-49
The Northrop YB-49 was a prototype jet-powered heavy bomber aircraft developed by Northrop shortly after World War II. Intended for service with the U.S. Air Force, the YB-49 featured a flying wing design...
flying wing aircraft. He also led the team that developed the Northrop P-61 Black Widow. At the end of World War II, he accompanied group of aeronautical experts led by Von Kármán to Germany to investigate the German progress in aerodynamics research.
Sears chose to return to academic life in 1946. He joined the faculty of Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
as the founder and first director of its Graduate School of Aeronautical Engineering. Within a few years, the Cornell Graduate School of Aeronautical Engineering was ranked among the world’s best. He and his many students pioneered research in wing theory, unsteady flow, magnetohydrodynamics, and designed a sophisticated wind tunnel design to study transonic flight. He remained very close to von Kármán, who was a frequent visitor to the Cornell aero school. In 1962, Sears was named the J. L. Given Professor of Engineering, and in 1963, he stepped down as director of the aero school after 17 years. A year earlier he had founded and became director of Cornell’s Center of Applied Mathematics.
Although his work at Northrop offered him little opportunity to fly, his move to Cornell provided more opportunity. In more than 50 years as a private pilot, he logged 8,000 hours before retiring from flying in 1990. He owned several aircraft over the years, including a Mooney M-18 Mite, a Beech A35 Bonanza, a Piper Comanche and finally a Piper Twin Comanche.
In 1974, after 28 years at Cornell, Sears joined the faculty of the department of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
. Four years later, he was named emeritus professor but remained an active faculty member and completed much of his important analytical and experimental work on adaptive-wall wind tunnels during these years.
Honors and Awards
Sears was a member of the National Academy of SciencesNational Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences commonly refers to the academy in the United States of America.National Academy of Sciences may also refer to :* National Academy of Sciences of Argentina* Armenian National Academy of Sciences...
, the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
, and Mexico’s Academia Nacional de Ingeniería. He was an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of two earlier societies: the American Rocket Society , founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society , and the Institute...
and was editor of the Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences from 1955 to 1963. During his lifetime, he received many honors and awards, including the Guggenheim Medal and the Prandtl Ring of the German Aeronautical Society. In 1988, Caltech gave him its Distinguished Alumni Award. He was also named an outstanding alumnus of the University of Minnesota and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Arizona.
Sears was also an accomplished musician, first as a percussionist. He worked his way through college as a drummer in dance bands and, after moving to California, was tympanist with the Pasadena Symphony for several seasons. Later, at Cornell, he became an expert recorder player with a university group interested in medieval music. He played with the Collegium Musicum at the University of Arizona for 20 years.