Hampton, Virginia

Inducted in 2002, Fred E. Weick started his aeronautical engineering career with the U.S. Mail Service in 1922. In the late 20s and early 30s he was a NACA engineer, where he led the development of the first propeller wind tunnels and the famous NACA low drag cowling, which earned NACA its first Collier Trophy. In the late 30s he built the experimental W-1 which led to the famous Ercoupe which was a safe and easy to fly airplane. In 1946 he began work on the Ag-1, which led to the far safer, more efficient crop dusters of today. He worked for Piper Aircraft from 1957 to 1969 and was responsible for the development of the Cherokee 140 and 180 and the Piper Pawnee. Weick’s aeronautical engineering efforts had a profound effect on the development of the modern airplane. He authored 70 technical papers and reports, and the classic textbook on the designing of propellers. He holds five patents for aeronautical inventions and introduced the steerable tricycle landing gear.