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Thu, Oct 15, 2009

Gone West: Richard Whitcomb

Langley Engineer Developed Supercritical Wing And The Winglet

NASA's Langley Research Center said Tuesday that former aviation engineer Richard Whitcomb passed away Tuesday at a nursing home in Newport News, Virginia. He was 89.

Whitcomb was an engineer at Langley for nearly 4 decades, retiring in 1980. While there, he developed three important innovations for aviation: How to achieve practical, efficient transonic and supersonic flight by changing the shape of the fuselage, the supercritical wing that revolutionized the design of jet liners, and, perhaps most ubiquitous now, the winglets that improve efficiency and fuel performance on aircraft ranging from LSA's to private jets and major airlines.

At Whitcomb's request, there will be no funeral, and his ashes will be scattered from an airplane over the Chesapeake Bay.

FMI: www.larc.nasa.gov

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