Robert Gustav Loewy (February 12, 1926 – January 3, 2025) was an American aerospace engineer who has been influential in the development of rotary-wing

vertical take-off and landing A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust-vectoring fixed-wing ...

aircraft.

Life and career

Loewy was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, on February 12, 1926. He graduated from

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...

in the class of 1947 with a Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering degree. He earned an M.S. from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

and a Ph.D. from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. From 1948 to 1962, Dr. Loewy worked in industry for the

Glenn L. Martin Company The Glenn L. Martin Company, also known as The Martin Company from 1917 to 1961, was an American aircraft and aerospace industry, aerospace manufacturing company founded by aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many impo ...

;

Piasecki Helicopter Corporation The Piasecki Helicopter Corporation was an American designer and manufacturer of helicopters in Philadelphia and nearby Morton, Pennsylvania, in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Its founder, Frank Piasecki, was ousted in 1956 and started a new co ...

;

Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory Calspan Corporation is a science and technology company founded in 1943 as part of the Research Laboratory of the Curtiss-Wright Airplane Division at Buffalo, New York. Calspan consists of four primary operating units: Flight Research, Transportat ...

; and Vertol Aircraft, which later became a division of the

Boeing Company The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

. Between September 1965 and 1966, he was chief scientist for the United States Air Force. As a faculty member at the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded in 1850 and moved into its current campus, next to the Genesee River in 1930. With approximately 30,000 full ...

, Loewy was professor of mechanical and aerospace sciences, director of the Space Science Center and finally dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. In 1974 he moved to RPI where he became provost and professor of aeronautical engineering and mechanics. From 1973 to 1977 he was chairman of the

USAF Scientific Advisory Board The United States Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) is a Federal Advisory Committee that provides independent advice on matters of science and technology relating to the Air Force mission, reporting directly to the Secretary of the Air ...

. In 1978, Loewy became a

professor, which is a senior teaching and research position in the School of Engineering. He later founded the Rotorcraft Technology Center at RPI and served as its director. He joined

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

in 1993 and became William R. T. Oakes honorary professor and chair of the School of Aerospace Engineering. He was awarded the

Daniel Guggenheim Medal The Daniel Guggenheim Medal is an American engineering award, established by Daniel and Harry Guggenheim. The medal is considered to be one of the greatest honors that can be presented for a lifetime of work in aeronautics. Its first recipien ...

for aeronautical engineering in 2006. In 1971, he was elected a member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

for contributions to the engineering of rotary-wing, vertical take-off and landing aircraft. He was also awarded the Spirit of St. Louis Medal. He was inducted into RPI's Alumni Hall of Fame in 2009. Loewy died on January 3, 2025, at the age of 98.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loewy, Robert 1926 births 2025 deaths University of Rochester faculty Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute faculty American aerospace engineers 20th-century American Jews Georgia Tech faculty Chief Scientists of the United States Air Force Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Educators from Philadelphia Engineers from Pennsylvania 21st-century American Jews