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Alexander Lippisch | |
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Born | |
Died | 11 February 1976 Cedar Rapids, Iowa, US | (aged 81)
Nationality | German |
Occupation | Engineer |
Engineering career | |
Projects | Messerschmitt Me 163 |
Significant advance | first rocket plane first delta wing to fly first mass-produced rocket fighter |
Alexander Martin Lippisch (2 November 1894 – 11 February 1976) was a German aeronautical engineer, a pioneer of aerodynamics who made important contributions to the understanding of tailless aircraft, delta wings and the ground effect, and also worked in the U.S. Within the Opel-RAK program, he was the designer of the world's first rocket-powered glider.
He developed and conceptualized delta wing designs which functioned practically in supersonic delta wing fighter aircraft as well as in hang gliders. People he worked with continued the development of the delta wing and supersonic flight concepts over the 20th century. His most famous designs are the Messerschmitt Me 163 rocket-powered interceptor[1]: 174 and the Dornier Aerodyne.