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I am sincerely indebted to
the dozens of current and retired employees of
the NASA Langley Research Center who consented
to be interviewed and submitted their personal
experiences, recollections, and files from which
this documentation of Langley contributions was
drawn. The following individuals contributed vital
information to this effort:
Dennis
W. Bartlett |
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Moses
G. Farmer |
|
Donald
F. Keller |
|
Jerry
C. South, Jr. |
Percy
“Bud” Bobbitt |
|
Bruce
D. Fisher |
|
Holly
M. Kenney |
|
Cary R.
Spitzer |
Roland
L. Bowles |
|
Stuart
G. Flechner |
|
John C.
Lin |
|
James
H. Starnes, Jr. |
James
S. Bowman, Jr. |
|
Neal T.
Frink |
|
James
M. Luckring |
|
Harry
P. Stough III |
Richard
L. Campbell |
|
George
C. Greene |
|
Cornelius
J. O’Conner |
|
James
L. Thomas |
Michael
F. Card |
|
Charles
E. Harris |
|
Donald
B. Owens |
|
Dan D.
Vicroy |
Huey D.
Carden |
|
David
A. Hinton |
|
Felix
L. Pitts |
|
Richard
A. Wahls |
Norman
L. Crabill |
|
Robert
J. Huston |
|
Fred H.
Proctor |
|
Raymond
D. Whipple |
Robert
H. Daugherty |
|
Peter
F. Jacobs |
|
Edward
J. Ray |
|
Richard
T. Whitcomb |
John G.
Davis, Jr. |
|
Joseph
L. Johnson, Jr. |
|
Wilmer
H. Reed III |
|
Thomas
J. Yager |
H. Benson
Dexter |
|
Lisa E.
Jones |
|
Dan M.
Somers |
|
Long P.
Yip |
Robert
V. Doggett, Jr. |
|
|
|
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The following representatives
of the civil aviation sector provided their unique
perspectives on the value, timeliness, and significance
of the Langley contributions to their respective
organizations and to the Nation: Frank T. Lynch
(The Boeing Company—retired), Douglas N.
Ball (Boeing), Robert J. Mills (Gulfstream Aerospace
Corporation), and Jay D. Hardin (Cessna Aircraft
Company).
The majority of photographs
in this document are taken from NASA files. However,
I am indebted to The Boeing Company, Cessna Aircraft
Company, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, Raytheon
Aircraft Company, Cirrus Design Corporation, and
Lancair Company for permission to use their photographs.
In addition, Chris Coduto of ChrisAir Commercial
Airline Photography, William Bunting of the National
Weather Service, and Robert Stoyles of Cathay Airlines
(retired) contributed unique photographs that added
greatly to the quality of this publication.
Special thanks to Jerry N.
Hefner and Patricia A. West, who provided their
superb technical editing and proofreading skills
to the project. Also, I would like to express my
special gratitude to Noel A. Talcott and Darrel
R. Tenney, who provided the inspiration and mechanism
to undertake this activity.
Thanks also to Percival J.
Tesoro for the cover design, Leanna D. Bullock
for assistance with the figures, Peggy S. Overbey
for desktop publishing services, Christine R. Williams
for printing coordination, the late Eloise L. Johnson
and Denise M. Stefula for editing, Mary Edwards
for proofreading, and Gail S. Langevin for document
production coordination.
Ultimately, however, the greatest
thanks go to the thousands of current and retired
researchers, technicians, administrators, and support
personnel of the NASA Langley Research Center who
provided the personal dedication, expertise, and
innovation that enabled the legendary contributions
covered in this work.
Joseph R. Chambers
Yorktown, VA
December 15, 2002
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