DOUGLAS Donald Wiles (Douglas Donald Wills)

(1892-1981)
Born April 6, 1892 in Brooklyn (New York). In 1912 he graduated from the Naval Academy United States, in 1914 received a degree in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked in the aircraft construction company, Connecticut Aircraft ', then in the company, Glenn L. Martin', participated in the creation bomber 'Martin'. In 1920 founded his own company 'Douglas Aircraft', in which aircraft pilots the U.S. Air Force in 1924 made the first round the world flights. By improving the design and increasingly adapting it to military needs, built in 1933, Douglas DC-1 - the first twin-engine military transport plane with a sleek. Then came the DC-2 and the well-known DC-3, and in 1949 - DC-3 'Super'. During the Second World War, Douglas put U.S. forces and allies, a large number of transport planes and bombers. In the postwar years, the firm 'Douglas' four-engine transport aircraft produced DC-6, 258-seat jet airliner DC-8 and jet trehmotorny airliner DC-10. In 1967 the merged firms 'Douglas' with the company 'McDonnell Aircraft', and Douglas became honorary chairman of the corporation 'McDonnell - Douglas'. Douglas died in Palm Springs (pc. California) February 1, 1981.