Robert Gustav Loewy (born February 12, 1926) is an 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-win ...

aircraft. He was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He graduated from

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

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 land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

and a Ph.D. from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. 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 1957-1961—was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company founded by aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin, and operated between 1917-1961. The Martin Company produc ...

;

Piasecki Helicopter Corporation Piasecki Helicopter Corporation was a designer and manufacturer of helicopters located in Philadelphia and nearby Morton, Pennsylvania, in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Its founder, Frank Piasecki, was ousted from the company in 1956 and starte ...

;

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, Transportati ...

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

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

. 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 (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

, 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 Forc ...

. 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 or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

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. Recipients have include ...

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, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy ...

for contributions to the engineering of rotary-wing, vertical take-off and landing aircraft. He was also awarded with the Spirit of St. Louis Medal. He was inducted into RPI's Alumni Hall of Fame in 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loewy, Robert G. 1926 births Living people 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