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that the industry could meet the need, and laid out the methods by which it would be transformed from small companies producing aircraft in small batches to making them on a production-line basis. The aircraft industry grew from a distant 41st place among
American industries to first place in less than five years. Douglas Aircraft grew from being a small company with 68 employees in 1922 to being the fourth largest business in the United States.
371:
437:
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Donald
Douglas was not only a very highly regarded engineer and bold entrepreneur, but as World War II approached, he proved to be remarkably prescient. A year and a half before Pearl Harbor, he was already writing that this was the "hour of destiny for American aviation." He expressed confidence
361:
of the
National Defense Advisory Commission observed, "We won because we smothered the enemy in an avalanche of production, the like of which he had never seen, nor dreamed possible." Donald Douglas summed it up similarly, "Here's proof that free men can out-produce slaves."
240:. He later built model airplanes, some with rubber-bands and other motors, in his dormitory room at Annapolis and tested them on the grounds and in the academy's armory. In 1912 he resigned from the academy in order to pursue a career in aeronautical engineering.
326:
In March 1920, Douglas resigned from his $ 10,000 (equivalent to $ 152,000 in 2023) a year job to return to
California, where he had met and, in 1916, married Charlotte Marguerite Ogg (1892–1976). They had four sons and one daughter including
416:
Douglas Sr. served as honorary chairman of the McDonnell
Douglas board until his death on February 1, 1981, at the age of 88. In keeping with his lifelong love for the sea, he was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the
173:
following the latter's merger in 1997). Under his leadership, the company became one of the leaders of the commercial aircraft industry, engaging in a decades-long struggle for supremacy with arch-rival
197:; at the start of the war, his airplanes made up 80% of all commercial aircraft in service. However, he lagged behind in the jet age and was overtaken and surpassed by Boeing. He retired in 1957.
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154:. Though it failed in its intended purpose—being the first to fly non-stop across the United States—it became the first airplane with a payload greater than its own weight.
263:—the first person to receive such a degree from MIT—in 1914, completing the four-year course in half the time; he remained there another year as an assistant to Professor
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with $ 40,000 financing from partner David Davis. They worked together to attempt to build an aircraft that could fly coast to coast nonstop, the
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232:. He had been an early aviation enthusiast; at the age of 16 in the fall of 1908, he convinced his mother that he needed to witness the
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A statue of
Douglas, a recreation of his office and the Douglas Aircraft Company boardroom is at the Museum of Flying in
307:, Douglas resigned to become, in November 1916, the chief civilian aeronautical engineer of the Aviation Section of the
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A bust of
Douglas, and a commemorative plaque for him is located at the Scott Air Force Base in
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Another statue of
Douglas and a set of commemorative plaques for him are at the Douglas Park in
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Douglas (left) with Donald R. Davis, who together who formed the Davis-Douglas
Aircraft Company
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182:. Douglas gained the upper hand, particularly with his revolutionary and highly successful
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341:. Following an unsuccessful attempt, Davis left the partnership, and Douglas founded the
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Building
Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,
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Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,
820:
Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,
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Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,
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Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,
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In 1967, the company was struggling to expand production to meet demand for
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as company president. He retained his position as chairman of the board.
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The United States out-produced its enemies in totalitarian societies. As
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644:
Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II,
428:
in 1997, marking the end of the Douglas name in the aviation industry.
100:
1176:
The Entrepreneurs: Explorations Within the American Business Tradition
1073:
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where he was, at the age of 23, chief engineer, where he designed the
233:
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287:, participating in the designing of the Navy's first dirigible, the
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Inducted into the Airlift/Tanker Association Hall of Fame (1990)
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military attack aircraft. Quality and cash flow problems and
319:, again becoming their chief engineer. Douglas designed the
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209:, New York, the second son of an assistant cashier at the
622:
378:
Douglas Sr. retired in 1957 and was replaced by his son,
252:
922:
These We Honor: The International Aerospace Hall of Fame
754:
Embattled Dreams: California in War and Peace, 1940–1950
738:"PIONEERS IN AVIATION: THE RACE TO THE MOON, Episode I"
1371:
Benjamin Franklin Medal (Franklin Institute) laureates
401:
development costs, combined with shortages due to the
563:. Douglas is ranked seventh on the aviation magazine
311:. Soon thereafter he returned to the newly reformed
672:
pp. 244, Bobbs-Merrill Co., Indianapolis, IN, 1945.
143:(April 6, 1892 – February 1, 1981) was an American
1169:
943:"J. C. Hunsaker Award in Aeronautical Engineering"
681:
299:seaplane. Shortly after Glenn Martin merged with
1307:
1150:. Vol. 1. US: Iowa State University Press.
684:"A 40-Year-Long Dogfight for Aircraft Supremacy"
150:An aviation pioneer, he designed and built the
1131:. Vol. 1. UK: Putnam Aeronautical Books.
945:. National Academy of Sciences. Archived from
1178:. New York: Weybright & Talley. pp.
878:"Executive Biography of Donald W. Douglas Sr"
872:
870:
224:After graduation in 1909, he enrolled in the
1386:Businesspeople from Palm Springs, California
750:
646:pp. 202–3, Random House, New York, NY, 2012.
333:He soon started his first aircraft company,
969:"Induction into the A/TA Hall of Fame 1990"
444:at the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, CA
270:
30:For other people named Donald Douglas, see
27:American aircraft industrialist (1892–1981)
1126:
867:
780:The Pictorial History of American Aircraft
534:International Air & Space Hall of Fame
49:
1046:
806:"Donald Wills Douglas | Encyclopedia.com"
744:
440:Statue of Donald W. Douglas Sr. with the
1376:National Aviation Hall of Fame inductees
1356:Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau
1145:
1099:"Douglas Park | Los Angeles Conservancy"
982:51 Heroes of Aviation: #7 Donald Douglas
935:
757:. Oxford University Press. p. 136.
587:Douglas Park in Santa Monica, California
435:
405:, led Douglas to agree to a merger with
369:
274:
791:
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291:. In August 1915, Douglas left for the
161:in 1921 (the company later merged with
14:
1308:
1229:Here's My Story – Donald Wills Douglas
716:Reed, Christopher (October 16, 2004).
682:Ralph Vartabedian (October 25, 1999).
675:
604:
602:
569:'s list of its 51 Heroes of Aviation.
171:his then arch-rival's aircraft company
124:(B.S., Aeronautical Engineering, 1914)
1171:"Donald Douglas: The Fortunes of War"
1164:
1148:Donald W. Douglas, a Heart with Wings
1129:McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920
1074:"Donald W. Douglas Historical Marker"
1049:"The Storied History Of Douglas Park"
546:NAS Award in Aeronautical Engineering
471:University of California, Los Angeles
122:Massachusetts Institute of Technology
835:pp. 7–8, 13, 16, Cypress, CA, 2013.
786:
715:
431:
243:After being turned down for jobs by
1396:American people of Scottish descent
1047:Mehlinger, Samantha (May 7, 2018).
599:
24:
1361:Recipients of the Legion of Honour
611:
25:
1417:
1326:American aerospace businesspeople
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777:
1346:MIT School of Engineering alumni
1002:Great American Bronze Works, Inc
924:. Donning Co. Publishers, 2006.
193:military transport version, the
1210:, US government (archived 2012)
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856:pp. 5, 7–8, Cypress, CA, 2013.
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825:
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521:Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy
348:
32:Donald Douglas (disambiguation)
1078:The Historical Marker Database
1027:The Historical Marker Database
730:
709:
696:
662:
649:
636:
540:National Aviation Hall of Fame
496:USAF Exceptional Service Award
424:McDonnell Douglas merged with
407:McDonnell Aircraft Corporation
13:
1:
920:Sprekelmeyer, Linda, editor.
822:pp. 13–16, Cypress, CA, 2013.
706:pp. 13–48, Cypress, CA, 2013.
592:
589:is also named after Douglas.
200:
167:McDonnell Douglas Corporation
1406:Recipients of Franklin Medal
659:pp. 7–14, Cypress, CA, 2013.
550:National Academy of Sciences
285:Connecticut Aircraft Company
147:industrialist and engineer.
7:
1214:"Bio: Donald Wills Douglas"
1146:Morrison, Wilbur H (1991).
1127:Francillon, Rene J (1988).
1053:Long Beach Business Journal
1023:"Douglas Historical Marker"
670:Masters of Mass Production,
365:
283:In 1915 Douglas joined the
10:
1422:
1391:American aviation pioneers
1336:Businesspeople in aviation
911:Francillon, 1988. pp. 3–4.
581:St. Clair County, Illinois
29:
1351:Collier Trophy recipients
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482:Commander's Cross of the
128:
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107:
85:
60:
48:
43:Donald Willis Douglas Sr.
41:
18:Donald Wills Douglas, Sr.
1288:Douglas Aircraft Company
1270:Donald Wills Douglas Jr.
1260:Douglas Aircraft Company
902:Morrison, 1991. pp. 255.
880:. Boeing. Archived from
561:Santa Monica, California
343:Douglas Aircraft Company
271:Early engineering career
261:Aeronautical Engineering
189:and its equally popular
180:his eponymous enterprise
159:Douglas Aircraft Company
141:Donald Wills Douglas Sr.
133:Douglas Aircraft Company
1341:RAND Corporation people
795:Francillon, 1988. p. 3.
608:Francillon, 1988. p. 2.
477:US Certificate of Merit
313:Glenn L. Martin Company
1366:Order of the Dannebrog
1237:, The Douglas Archives
574:Long Beach, California
503:Order of the Dannebrog
484:Order of Orange-Nassau
445:
442:Spirit of Santa Monica
375:
280:
251:, Douglas enrolled in
1204:"Bio: Donald Douglas"
1103:www.laconservancy.org
751:Starr, Kevin (2003).
509:Elmer A. Sperry Award
439:
373:
335:Davis-Douglas Company
278:
215:Trinity Chapel School
1381:People from Brooklyn
1235:Donald Wills Douglas
1208:Centennial of Flight
949:on December 29, 2010
309:US Army Signal Corps
293:Glenn Martin Company
205:Douglas was born in
1244:Business positions
413:on April 28, 1967.
257:Bachelor of Science
230:Annapolis, Maryland
169:, and which is now
1331:Aircraft designers
532:Inducted into the
446:
393:airliners and the
380:Donald Douglas Jr.
376:
359:William S. Knudsen
281:
255:. He received his
211:National Park Bank
163:McDonnell Aircraft
1304:
1303:
1295:Succeeded by
1267:Succeeded by
930:978-1-57864-397-4
862:978-0-9897906-0-4
841:978-0-9897906-0-4
689:Los Angeles Times
655:Parker, Dana T.
642:Herman, Arthur.
527:Tony Jannus Award
432:Awards and honors
411:McDonnell Douglas
339:Douglas Cloudster
152:Douglas Cloudster
138:
137:
16:(Redirected from
1413:
1277:Preceded by
1249:Preceded by
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1227:, October 1940,
1220:history website.
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668:Borth, Christy.
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619:"Donald Douglas"
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490:Légion d'honneur
462:Guggenheim Medal
219:Scottish descent
92:
89:February 1, 1981
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53:
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21:
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986:Flying Magazine
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317:Cleveland, Ohio
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265:Jerome Hunsaker
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157:He founded the
118:Alma mater
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55:Douglas in 1935
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301:Wright Company
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245:Grover Loening
236:trials of the
213:. He attended
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176:William Boeing
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129:Known for
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1106:. Retrieved
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1030:. Retrieved
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1005:. Retrieved
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953:February 14,
951:. Retrieved
947:the original
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888:December 26,
886:. Retrieved
882:the original
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626:. Retrieved
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349:World War II
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238:Wright Flyer
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191:World War II
184:Douglas DC-3
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97:Palm Springs
91:(1981-02-01)
36:
1321:1981 deaths
1316:1892 births
403:Vietnam War
395:A-4 Skyhawk
321:Martin MB-1
217:and was of
108:Nationality
1310:Categories
1292:1957–1967
1264:1921–1957
593:References
329:Donald Jr.
201:Early life
101:California
67:1892-04-06
1108:April 11,
1083:April 11,
1058:March 23,
1032:March 23,
1007:March 23,
548:from the
234:Fort Myer
1168:(1974).
409:to form
366:Post-war
323:bomber.
303:to form
297:Martin S
207:Brooklyn
187:airliner
165:to form
145:aircraft
112:American
79:New York
75:Brooklyn
1180:289–340
778:Yenne.
1298:(none)
1280:(none)
1252:(none)
1218:Boeing
1186:
1154:
1135:
928:
860:
839:
761:
566:Flying
552:(1973)
542:(1969)
536:(1967)
529:(1966)
523:(1963)
517:(1958)
511:(1956)
505:(1955)
501:Royal
498:(1953)
492:(1951)
486:(1950)
479:(1948)
473:(1947)
464:(1939)
458:(1926)
449:Source
426:Boeing
984:from
399:DC-10
315:, in
1184:ISBN
1152:ISBN
1133:ISBN
1110:2021
1085:2022
1060:2021
1034:2021
1009:2021
955:2011
926:ISBN
890:2017
858:ISBN
837:ISBN
759:ISBN
630:2013
468:LL.D
391:DC-9
389:and
387:DC-8
289:DN-1
247:and
195:C-47
178:and
86:Died
61:Born
623:PBS
259:in
253:MIT
228:in
1312::
1216:,
1206:,
1182:.
1174:.
1101:.
1076:.
1051:.
1025:.
1000:.
869:^
788:^
720:.
686:.
621:.
601:^
583:.
451::
421:.
345:.
267:.
221:.
99:,
77:,
1192:.
1160:.
1141:.
1112:.
1087:.
1062:.
1036:.
1011:.
971:.
957:.
932:.
892:.
864:.
843:.
808:.
782:.
767:.
740:.
726:.
692:.
632:.
69:)
65:(
34:.
20:)
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