Wolfgang Langewiesche (pronounced:long-gah-vee-shuh) (1907–2002) was an aviator, writer and journalist. He is one of the most quoted writers in aviation writing. His book, ''

Stick and Rudder ''Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying'' () is a book written in 1944 by Wolfgang Langewiesche, describing how airplanes fly and how they should be flown by pilots. It has become a standard reference text for aviators. Written ...

'' (1944), is still in print, and is considered a primary reference on the art of flying

fixed-wing aircraft A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air flying machine, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using wings that generate lift caused by the aircraft's forward airspeed and the shape of the wings. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinc ...

. Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 1907, he migrated to America in 1929. He was a graduate of the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

and earned his master's degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. He was in a doctoral program in the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

when he decided to learn to fly and pursue a career in aviation. Mr. Langewiesche wrote for '' Air Facts'' magazine, an aviation safety-related publication edited by

Leighton Collins Leighton may refer to: Places In Australia: * Leighton, Western Australia, a beachside locality In the United Kingdom: * Leighton, Cambridgeshire * Leighton, Cheshire *Leighton, North Yorkshire **Leighton Reservoir * Leighton, Shropshire * Leig ...

, and his articles were the basis for most of ''Stick and Rudder''. The basic facts about flying that he emphasized in 1944 have withstood much criticism since then. Over 200,000 copies of the book had been printed by 1990. He taught "Theory of Flight" to US Army aviation cadets in the ground school at the

Hawthorne School of Aeronautics Hawthorne School of Aeronautics was a flying school and airport located 5 miles south of Orangeburg, South Carolina. The school was closed in 1945. Today the land is being used for non-aviation purposes. History The Hawthorne School of Aeron ...

Orangeburg, South Carolina Orangeburg, also known as ''The Garden City'', is the principal city in and the county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population of the city was 13,964 according to the 2010 United States Census and declined to 12 ...

, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and test flew

F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contract ...

s for the

Vought Corporation Vought was the name of several related American aerospace firms. These have included, in the past, Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought-Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace (part of Ling-Temco-Vought), Vought Aircraft Companies, and Vought Air ...

. He later worked for

Cessna Cessna () is an American brand of general aviation aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of the Cessna Aircraft Company, an American general aviation aircraft manufacturing c ...

as a test pilot and contributed several articles for ''Flying'' magazine. In the 1950s he became ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

s roving editor, retiring in 1986. His son,

William Langewiesche William Langewiesche (pronounced:long-gah-vee-shuh) (born June 12, 1955) is an American author and journalist who was also a professional airplane pilot for many years. Since 2019 he has been a writer at large for The New York Times Magazine. P ...

, is also a well-known author, journalist and pilot with an award-winning career with the ''

Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' and '' Vanity Fair'' magazines.

References

* Article in '' Flying'' published in October 1976. * An Article by Bruce Landsberg, Executive Director of the

AOPA The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is a Frederick, Maryland-based American non-profit political organization that advocates for general aviation. AOPA's membership consists mainly of general aviation pilots in the United States ...

Air Safety Foundatio

Books authored

*''I'll take the high road'' (1939) *'' Stick and Rudder, Stick and Rudder : An Explanation of the Art of Flying'', McGraw-Hill, New York, Copyright 1944 & 1972, *''Lightplane Flying'' (1939) *''A flier's world'' (1950)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Langewiesche, Wolfgang American aviators Aviation pioneers 20th-century American non-fiction writers German emigrants to the United States 1907 births 2002 deaths American aviation writers Alumni of the London School of Economics Columbia University alumni German flight instructors 20th-century American male writers