Jim Drake (engineer)

Jim Drake, born as James Robert Drake ( born January 8, 1929 in Los Angeles, † June 19, 2012 in Pfafftown, North Carolina ) was an American engineer who was instrumental in the development of windsurfing. It helped that this sport increasingly gained popularity and became a broad audience.

Life

Drake was born in 1929 as the only son of Harrison and Doris Drake in Los Angeles. He studied at Stanford University, where he graduated in 1951 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. In 1955 he married Mary Robertson. He has been involved as an engineer and designer, for example, in the development of the X-15 rocket-propelled aircraft or cruise missile type Tomahawk. Drake worked for prestigious companies such as North American Aviation, the RAND Corporation or the U.S. Department of Defense. Drake married in 2000 his second wife, Phyllis. He left at his death two daughters and four sons and 15 grandchildren.

Windsurfer patent

In his spare time used Drake for sailing and water skiing. The windsurfing as a sport was invented by the founder Peter Chilvers and Newman Darby. The present popularity of this sport is due to the inventions of Jim Drake and his former friend Hoyle Schweitzer. Together they reported in 1968 a patent on a new development the boom as a pair of curved trees, which keep running abeam to spar and between the sail. Schweitzer began to market the idea and contributed with his entrepreneurial, business thinking to the success of the invention in. Later, he urged her to leave him the patent Jim Drake, and paid him for $ 36,000. His friendship with Schweitzer, then the successful company "Windsurfing International" founded, broke.