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Heinemann (Edward Henry) Personal Papers
SDASM.SC.10066
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
San Diego Air and Space Museum Library and Archives
Title: Edward Henry Heinemann Personal Papers
Identifier/Call Number: SDASM.SC.10066
Physical Description:
5 Cubic Feet
The Edward Henry Heinemann Collection is contained in seven archival boxes collection measuring 16 ½ x 13 x 10 ¼ inches. There
is a CD in the first box containing JPEG images of the photographs.
The aircraft drawing designs are stored in three blue clamshell oversized boxes.
Date (bulk): bulk
Abstract: Edward Henry Heinemann, (14 March 1908 – 26 November 1991) was a noted military aircraft designer for Douglas Aircraft.
The collection is open to researchers by appointment.
Some copyright may be reserved. Consult with the library director for more information.
Edward Heinemann Personal Papers at the San Diego Air and Space Museum
Edward Henry Heinemann began designed aircraft in 1926 as a draftsman with Douglas Aircraft Company. He moved to International
Aircraft, and then to Moreland Aircraft as chief engineer. Heinemann took an active role in proving many of his concepts by
being the test pilot on some of the aircraft he designed. In 1930 he joined Northrop Aircraft Corporation as project engineer,
but it was as vice president for Military Engineering of the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1936 that he achieved his greatest
design triumphs. In 1962 he became corporate president of Engineering with General Dynamics, a position he occupied until
his retirement in 1973.
Heinemann was responsible either totally or in part for the design and development of more than 20 outstanding military aircraft.
Just some of the aircraft include the SBD Dauntless dive bomber of World War II fame, of which 4982 were built; the A-20 and
A-26 light bombers, of which over 8000 were built; the A-I Skyraider; the F4D Skyray; the supersonic research aircraft D-558
Skystreak; and his crowning achievement, the outstanding A-4D Skyhawk which is still current in the Navy’s operational arsenal
and is in use worldwide.
In addition to aircraft designs, Heinemann and his staff were responsible for the development of a number of aircraft components
and weapons such as ejection seats, cartridge ejector bomb racks, low-drag streamlined bombs, fuel tanks, autopilots, and
flight data computers.
Edward Heinemann’s career was devoted to solving engineering problems in aeronautical science. A genius of the times, his
intellect and creativity contributed greatly to the advance of world aero science.
The Edward Henry Heinemann Collection is contained in seven archival boxes collection measuring 16 ½ x 13 x 10 ¼ inches. The
majority of this collection consists of business and corporate correspondence. There is also a box that contains index cards
that correlate to the correspondence (in box 1), several speeches, personal correspondence, newspaper articles, periodicals,
drawings and designs, seven oversized books of aircraft designs, and hundreds of photographs. The oversized books will be
placed separate from the main collection due to the size of the books. The collection was previously distributed among fourteen
smaller boxes by year and by topic. The collection has maintained the same order, but placed into larger boxes, and there
are cardboard dividers labelling each section.
There is a CD in the first box containing JPEG images of the photographs.
The aircraft drawing designs are stored in three blue clamshell oversized boxes.
One oversized foreign magazine has been placed in the Oversized Material Special Collection, OMSC_00001.
“The Ed Heinemann Story”; VT-0635, Audio Visual.
Interview with Ed Heinemann, December 1, 1985; AS-VT 1846, Oral Histories.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated to the San Diego Air and Space Museum
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Douglas Aircraft Company
Douglas A4D (A-4) Skyhawk Family
Douglas AD (A-1, BT2D) Skyraider Family
Douglas SBD Dauntless
General Dynamics
Northrop Aircraft, Inc
Heinemann, Edward H.