Thomas Towle

American aerospace engineer

Tom Towle (1887–1983) was an American aircraft designer in charge of developing the Ford Trimotor.^[1]

Early life

Towle was raised in Dayton, Ohio and graduated from Yale University in 1920. Towle become an aeronautical engineer for many starting aviation companies.^[2]

• 1921-1922 Dayton-Wright Company
• 1922-1923 Martin
• 1923-1924 Aeromarine
• 1924-1925 Stout Metal Airplane Co
• 1925-1927 Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company After disappointing results from the Stout 3-AT, Ford places Towle in charge of the Ford Tri-motor development.^[3]
• 1927 Towle Marine Aircraft - Formed company to build the Towle WC.
• 1928 Eastman Aircraft Corporation of Detroit - Designed the Eastman E-2 Sea Rover.
• 1928-1932 Towle Aircraft Company - Reorganized to produce the Towle TA-2 and Towle TA-3 amphibians.
• 1933 Monocoupe Aircraft Corporation
• 1933-1935 Lambert Aircraft Towle replaced Clayton Folkerts as chief engineer. Designer of Charles Lindbergh's plane, 1934 Model D-127 Monocoupe, which hangs in Terminal 1 at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.^[4][5]
• 1939 Grumman^[6]
• 1941 Hudson Car Company aircraft division - Hired as chief engineer.^[7]
• 1951 Worked for the Church & Dwight company, known for baking soda products.^[8]

References

1. "Ford Trimotor". 18 October 2007. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
2. "Thomas Towle Ford Tri-Motor Collection, 1921-1967 (bulk 1925-1926, 1953-1967)". Retrieved 6 November 2011.
3. Tom D. Crouch. Wings: a history of aviation from kites to the space age. p. 247.
4. "The Monocoupe". Retrieved 6 November 2011.
5. "Clare Wesley Bunch". Retrieved 6 November 2011.
6. Skyways: 56. January 1999. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
7. Charles K. Hyde. Storied independent automakers: Nash, Hudson, and American Motors. p. 143.
8. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Wind and Beyond: A Documentary Journey Into the History of Aerodynamics.