Richard Vogt (aircraft designer)

Biography

Richard Vogt was born in Schwäbisch Gmünd, a town in the Kingdom of Württemberg which at that time was a constituent state of the German Empire. He was the seventh child of twelve siblings. He was admitted to a school of universal literacy education in Stuttgart-Cannstatt. When he was a student at the school, he had an opportunity get to know Ernst Heinkel and to achieve his first aeronautical experience, which aroused his enthusiasm for flying.

In 1912, when he was 18 years old, Vogt built his first aeroplane. With this draft plane he tried to carry out first flight tests with the assistance of his friend. He carried out this plan with the permission of the authorities concerned with the heath of Mutlangen, a neighboring town of Schwäbisch Gmünd. Unfortunately the trial, which was performed under the observation of Ernst Heinkel, was not successful. After graduation from high school he was working for one year at an engine factory in Ludwigshafen.

With the outbreak of World War I, he enlisted in the ranks of the German Empire. However, he was injured in action and returned home. Then he received his pilot training in Halberstadt at his own request. He was discharged from military service in August 1916 and was able to work on projects at the Zeppelin works in Friedrichshafen. In that company he met Claudius Dornier. Vogt was impressed by Dornier, which encouraged him to strive to become an aircraft designer. After the war, he completed a two-year study course at the Technical University in Stuttgart, and subsequently served as an assistant to Professor Baumann at the university's Institute of Aeronautical and Automobile Systems until 1922. During that period he was awarded his first patent and received a doctorate degree. This was the beginning of his career as an aircraft designer.

On behalf of Claudius Dornier, Vogt was briefly sent to Italy, and from 1923 to 1933 he was dispatched to the Kawasaki Dockyard Company Limited (Kawasaki Aircraft) in Kobe, Japan, which was a licensed manufacturer of Dornier aircraft. In Japan he was appointed to the rank of chief designer, and he trained the young Japanese engineer Takeo Doi to be his successor. Doi later on designed the Ki-61 Hien . During that period Vogt designed several models including the KDA-5 Army Type 92 biplane fighter plane, KDA-2 Army Type 88 biplane reconnaissance, KDA-3 single-seat fighter, and a modified type of the KDA-5 Army Type 92-I biplane fighter (in cooperation with Takeo Doi).

Nazi Germany

In 1933 he returned to Germany accepting an offer from the Hamburger Flugzeugbau, an aircraft manufacturer closely associated with the Blohm & Voss shipbuilders, that invited him to serve as chief designer. His first project there was the Ha 136 monoplane trainer. The cantilevered wings had a tubular steel spar into which the main fuel tank was integrated. All his designs would feature such a combined hollow steel spar and fuel tank.

His second design was the Ha 137 dive bomber with inverted gull wings. The Ha 137 closely resembled the Kawasaki Ki-5, in the design of which Vogt had also led just before leaving Japan.

These were followed by the Ha 138 maritime reconnaissance aircraft, Ha 139 transport seaplane, Ha 140 torpedo bomber seaplane, Ha 141 reconnaissance aircraft and Ha 222 Viking large flying boat. Shortly before World War II broke out, Hamburger Flugzeugbau was reformed as the aircraft division of Blohm % Voss and changed its name accordingly. The designation of Vogt's aircraft changed from Ha to BV, with many of the types then under development changing their designations. The BV 141 is well known for its unique asymmetrical structure.

Under the new name, more designs were originated and three were built. The BV 238 was an even larger flying boat, becoming the largest and heaviest aircraft manufactured until the end of the war by any Axis power.

The design of the BV 155 high-altitude interceptor was started in mid-1943. The aircraft had initially been developed by Messerschmitt as the Me 155 carrier-based fighter. However, as the tide of war interfered with the development of the fighter, Blohm & Voss was ordered by the Luftwaffe to take over development. Vogt insisted on a total redesign, designated BV 155, and flew a prototype at the end of 1944 or in early 1945. The BV 155 never entered service before Germany's defeat in 1945.

At the final stage of the war, deterioration of the battle situation created a necessity for more efficient offensive power. In response to this, Vogt designed the Bv 246 "Hagelkorn (Hailstone)", a pilotless glider carrying large quantities of explosives. The tiny glider bomb was radio-controlled from the carrier aircraft which released it at high altitude. However, this glider bomb had never been used in action, although more than 1,000 aircraft were manufactured.

Many other projects of Vogt's reached an advanced stage before cancellation. These included the P.200, a transatlantic flying boat transport and a series of innovative fighters and bombers, the later ones being jet powered.

Post World War II career in the USA

After World War II, Vogt was asked by the US Air Force to carry out "Operation Paperclip", and he moved to the United States. In the United States, he was working as a civilian employee for the Research Laboratory of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio from the beginning of 1947 to 1954. Subsequently he became the chief designer of the Aerophysics Development Corporation and worked there until the company decided to discontinue this line of business in 1960. From August 1960 to August 1966, he served as a staff member on the team of George S. Schairer, who was the chief aerodynamicist in the research and testing division of Boeing Company.

At Boeing, Vogt was especially involved in the design of vertical takeoff systems and hydrofoils. He also investigated the effect of the length and shape of wings on the flying range, and he proved that small extensions attached to both tips of the wings improved the aerodynamics and increased the operation range of the aircraft. This finding has been widely used in the design of modern aircraft, where the extension parts are well known as the wing tips or winglets. His last assignment was the after-launch evaluation of the design of the Boeing 747.

Retirement

After retiring from Boeing, he enjoyed developing a safe sailboat that would not turn over, and he wrote his memoirs. In 1977 a fire totally destroyed his house, resulting in the loss of many personal and technical documents. In January 1979, he died of myocardial infarction in Santa Barbara, California, at age 84. Richard Vogt was married and had two sons.

Aircraft of his design

These types were all built and flown.

Writings