Willis Hawkins

Willis Moore Hawkins ( born December 1, 1913 in Kansas City (Missouri ), † 28 September 2004 in Woodland Hills, California ) was an American aeronautical engineer at Lockheed. He led the development team for the cargo plane Lockheed C -130 Hercules.

Hawkins studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Michigan with a bachelor 's degree 1937. During the same year he went to Lockheed. 1941 to 1947 he was manager of the Preliminary Design Department and initiated in 1947 until 1952., 1951, he led the design team for the Model 82, from which then the Hercules was. 1954 to 1957 he was senior engineer ( Director of Engineering ) of the Missiles and Space Division ( rockets, space travel), from 1957 to 1960 and then their assistant general manager until 1962, its General Manager. Under his leadership, among others, the Polaris missiles for the U.S. Navy were developed at that time. In 1960, he was Vice President at Lockheed, responsible for research and development. 1963 to 1966 he was Assistant Secretary for Research and Development of the U.S. Army (during this time was brought, among others, the M1 Abrahams tank on the way ). Then he was back at Lockheed as Corporate Senior Vice President (since 1969). 1972 to 1980 he served on the board of Lockheed (Board of Directors ). In 1974 he took early retirement, was once again brought back to direct temporarily from 1976 to 1979 the Department of California. In 2004, he lived to celebrate the 50 th anniversary of the first flight of the Hercules (23 August 1954).

He was involved F -104 Starfighter except at the Hercules in the development of the Lockheed Constellation, the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, the Lockheed XF -90, the Lockheed F- 94 Starfire and Lockheed. The Shooting Star was the first jet aircraft that was used by the U.S. Airforce. A during the Second World War (from 1939) jet fighter project begun by Lockheed - L 133, involved in their development Hawkins was - was rejected by the U.S. Air Force as too progressive.

In 1963 he became an honorary doctorate from the University of Michigan and in 1966 the Illinois College. In 1988 he received the National Medal of Science in 1961 and the U.S. Navy Distinguished Public Service Medal. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.