Sighard F. Hoerner
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Sighard F. Hoerner (18 April 1906, in
Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...
, Germany – 22 June 1971, in Brick Town, USA) was a German scientist. An important figure in the aerodynamics field, he is known for his two compendiums of aerodynamic knowledge, ''Fluid-Dynamic Drag'' and ''Fluid-Dynamic Lift''. He is also notable for his design work on the pioneering STOL aircraft, the Fieseler Fi 156 ''Storch''.


Education

Hoerner studied mechanical engineering at the
Technical University of Munich The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; ) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied and natural sciences. Established in 1868 by King Ludwig II ...
, earning a Dipl.Ing. and he earned a degree as Dr.-Ing. in aerodynamics at the Institute of Technology at Braunschweig. Finally, he obtained a degree as Dr.-Ing.-habil. from the TH Berlin.


Career

Initially, he served as research assistant at the Deutsche Versuchsanstalt fur Luftfahrt (DVL, near Berlin). After this, he worked as an aerodynamicist at the
Fieseler The Gerhard Fieseler Werke (GFW) in Kassel was a German aircraft manufacturer of the 1930s and 1940s. The company is remembered mostly for its military aircraft built for the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. History Gerhard Fieseler, the ...
Corporation, where he worked on the aerodynamic design of the
Fieseler Fi 156 Storch The Fieseler Fi 156 ''Storch'' (, "stork") is a liaison aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Fieseler. Its nickname of '' Storch'' was derived from the lengthy legs of its main landing gear, which gave the aircraft ...
STOL aircraft. From there, he went to
Junkers Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG (JFM, earlier JCO or JKO in World War I, English language, English: Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works) more commonly Junkers , was a major German aircraft manufacturer, aircraft and aircraft engine manufactu ...
, where he worked as the head of design aerodynamics, before going to
Messerschmitt Messerschmitt AG () was a German share-ownership limited, aircraft manufacturing corporation named after its chief designer Willy Messerschmitt from mid-July 1938 onwards, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, in parti ...
, where he worked as a research aerodynamicist during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. After the war, he was "invited" (
Operation Paperclip The Operation Paperclip was a secret United States intelligence program in which more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians were taken from former Nazi Germany to the US for government employment after the end of World War I ...
) to emigrate to the United States, where he worked in aerodynamics at
Wright Field Wilbur Wright Field was a military installation and an airfield used as a World War I pilot, mechanic, and armorer training facility and, under different designations, conducted United States Army Air Corps and Air Forces flight testing. Loc ...
in Ohio. Eventually, he ended up working as a specialist in aerodynamics and hydrodynamics in the field of
naval architecture Naval architecture, or naval engineering, is an engineering discipline incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and safety engineering as applied to the engineering design process, shipbuilding, maintenance, and op ...
at Gibbs & Cox, Inc. in New York City.


Contributions

In 1945 and 1946, Hoerner prepared a manuscript for the book ''Aerodynamic Drag''. The technical publishing houses in New York City were not confident enough to bring a book as specialized as this to the market. As a result, he published the book himself in 1951, using a photo-offset process and sold copies of the book by mail order from his home. The book got very good reviews and demand was steady. In 1958 it was reissued as ''Fluid-Dynamic Drag''. With the rapid progress in aerodynamics over the years, he prepared an update to the book, which was published in 1965. As before, the book was self-published by Hoerner Fluid Dynamics. This book contains documentation of the worldwide knowledge (at the time) of the sources of aerodynamic drag and the means to quantify aerodynamic drag. While substantial knowledge on this subject has been learned since 1965, this book is often the starting point in work where aerodynamic drag must be calculated. The US Navy
Office of Naval Research The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is an organization within the United States Department of the Navy responsible for the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Established by Congress in 1946, its mission is to plan ...
gave Hoerner a contract in the mid-1960s to write a companion volume ''Fluid-Dynamic Lift''. Co-authored with Henry V. "Hank" Borst, this book was published by Hoerner Fluid Dynamics in 1975. Unfortunately, Dr. Hoerner died before publication. This book, like its companion, contains documentation of the worldwide knowledge on the generation of aerodynamic lift and is still used heavily.


Personal life

Dr. Hoerner was married to Liselotte A. Hoerner. After his death, she continued the mail order business, selling copies of both books to engineers around the world.In 1 marriage Dr. Hoerner married Käte Sommer, the daughter of an academic family from Pölitz. However, this marriage lasted only from 1933 to 1941.


References

; Bibliography * Hoerner, Dr. Sighard F., ''Aerodynamic Drag'', Otterbein Press, Dayton Ohio, 1951. * Hoerner, Dr. Sighard F., ''Fluid-Dynamic Drag'', Hoerner Fluid Dynamics, Bricktown New Jersey, 1965. * Hoerner, Dr. Sighard F. and Borst, Henry V., ''Fluid-Dynamic Lift'', Hoerner Fluid Dynamics, Bricktown New Jersey, 1975.


External links


DAR Corporation's bookstore - one source for Dr. Hoerner's books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoerner, Sighard Aerodynamicists German aviation pioneers German aerospace engineers American aerospace engineers 1906 births 1971 deaths Technical University of Munich alumni Operation Paperclip 20th-century American engineers People from Münster Engineers from North Rhine-Westphalia