Donald Davenport Engen (May 28, 1924 – July 13, 1999) was a United States Navy vice admiral, former Administrator of the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

(FAA) and former Director of the National Air and Space Museum.

Education

Engen graduated from Pasadena High School in May 1941 and then attended Pasadena City College until leaving to join the U.S. Navy.

US Navy career

World War II

Engen entered the Naval Aviation Cadet Program on 9 June 1942, he soloed in August and in September 1942 was sent to naval preflight school. In October 1942, Engen was assigned to

Naval Air Station Los Alamitos A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inc ...

for primary training, then in February 1943 was sent to

Naval Air Station Corpus Christi Naval Air Station Corpus Christi is a United States Navy naval air base located six miles (10 km) southeast of the central business district (CBD) of Corpus Christi, in Nueces County, Texas. History A naval air station for Corpus Christi ...

for further training. He next attended advanced training at

Naval Air Station Kingsville Naval Air Station Kingsville or NAS Kingsville (NASK) is a United States Navy Naval Air Station located approximately 3 miles east of Kingsville, Texas in Kleberg County. NAS Kingsville is under the jurisdiction of Navy Region Southeast and i ...

, graduating as a Naval Aviator on 9 June 1943. Engen was assigned to Bombing Squadron 3 (VB-3) at Naval Air Station Daytona Beach for operational training in dive-bombing. In August 1943, Engen carrier-qualified by making 8 landings on then joined Bombing Squadron 19 (VB-19), flying the Curtiss

SB2C Helldiver The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver is a dive bomber developed by Curtiss-Wright during World War II. As a carrier-based bomber with the United States Navy (USN), in Pacific theaters, it supplemented and replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless. A few surv ...

; nicknamed "the Big-Tailed Beast" by Navy personnel at NAS Los Alamitos. In January 1944, Carrier Air Group 19 (CAG-19) embarked on the for transit to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

, offloading at

Ford Island Ford Island ( haw, Poka Ailana) is an islet in the center of Pearl Harbor, Oahu, in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It has been known as Rabbit Island, Marín's Island, and Little Goats Island, and its native Hawaiian name is ''Mokuumeume''. The is ...

. From January–June 1944, VB-19 underwent further training at bases in Hawaii before deploying with the rest of CAG-19 aboard the to the southwest Pacific arriving at Enewetak Atoll, where they transferred to the USS ''Lexington''. On 14 July 1944, ''Lexington'' left Enewetak to support the invasion of Guam and Engen later sank a Japanese freighter. In October 1944, VB-19 fought in the Battle of Leyte Gulf; Engen participated in the sinking of the

Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku ''Zuikaku'' ( Japanese: 瑞鶴 "Auspicious Crane") was the second and last built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) shortly before the beginning of the Pacific War. Her aircraft took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor that formally brought th ...

and was one of 32 VB-19 pilots to be awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

for their role in the battle. On 5 November 1944, Engen and the rest of VB-19 participated in the sinking of the

Japanese cruiser Nachi was the second vessel completed of the four-member of heavy cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), which were active in World War II. page 81 The other ships of the class were , , and . She was named after a mountain in Wakayama Prefect ...

Manila Bay Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phi ...

. On 23 November, CAG-19 was replaced by Carrier Air Group 20 and it embarked for transport to Hawaii and then on to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

. In early 1945, Engen was assigned to the newly formed VBF-19 at

Naval Air Station North Island Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (N ...

and was undergoing further training in Hawaii when the Japan surrendered. In addition to the Navy Cross, Engen was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

for his service in the Pacific.

Korean War

Engen was released from active service on 1 February 1946, although continued to serve in the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...

with VF-716 at Naval Air Station Los Alamitos. Engen worked briefly as an engineer for

Consolidated Vultee Convair, previously Consolidated Vultee, was an American aircraft manufacturing company that later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft. In 1953, i ...

before rejoining the Navy in August 1946. From October 1946 until May 1947, he worked in pilotless aircraft programmes at

Naval Auxiliary Air Station Chincoteague Naval Auxiliary Air Station Chincoteague was a U.S. Navy Auxiliary Air Station near Chincoteague Island, Virginia. In 1941, the United States entered World War II; early the following year, the Germans torpedoed two merchant ships off the Assatea ...

and the

Naval Air Missile Test Center Pacific Missile Test Center (PMTC) is the former name of the current Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division. The name of the center was the Naval Air Missile Test Center prior to PMTC. It is located at Naval Base Ventura County/Naval Air Stat ...

. He attended the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

from June 1947 until September 1948. In October 1948, he was assigned to VF-212, serving as operations officer. He subsequently joined VF-52, where he jet-qualified on the

TO-1 Shooting Star The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then d ...

, then joined

VF-51 VF-51, Fighter Squadron 51 was an aviation unit of the United States Navy known as the "Screaming Eagles". It was originally established as VF-1 on February 1, 1943, redesignated as VF-5 on July 15, 1943, redesignated as VF-5A on November 15, 1946, ...

, flying FJ-1s and then F9F-2s. In April 1950, VF-51 embarked on for a western Pacific deployment which saw the start of the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. On 3 July 1950, Engen participated in the first jet combat missions attacking an airfield near

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...

and engaging North Korean

Yak-9 The Yakovlev Yak-9 (russian: Яковлев Як-9) is a single-engine, single-seat multipurpose fighter aircraft used by the Soviet Union and its allies during World War II and the early Cold War. It was a development of the robust and succ ...

fighters. Engen would be awarded a further two Air Medals for his service in Korea.

Late 1950s

Engen attended the General Line School, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California from January to December 1951. From December 1952 to December 1953 he attended the

Empire Test Pilots' School The Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS) is a British training school for test pilots and flight test engineers of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft at MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, England. It was established in 1943, the first of its type ...

in England as an exchange officer and then served as a test pilot with

Air Development Squadron Three (VX-3) The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

from January 1954 to June 1955. From July 1955 to July 1957 Engen was executive officer of VF-121. From August 1957 to September 1959 he was assigned to the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River. In October 1959 he was appointed commander of VF-21.

1960s-1970s

In January 1962 Engen was appointed commander of

Carrier Air Group 11 Carrier may refer to: Entertainment * ''Carrier'' (album), a 2013 album by The Dodos * ''Carrier'' (board game), a South Pacific World War II board game * ''Carrier'' (TV series), a ten-part documentary miniseries that aired on PBS in April 20 ...

and from early 1963 he served as operations officer on the . In April 1964, he received his first command as captain of the . He would command the ship until 31 August 1965 when he left to attend the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

, in preparation for taking command of . On 21 July 1966, Engen became Captain of USS ''America''. During this command the USS ''Liberty'' incident took place and ''America'' launched aircraft to engage the attackers before being ordered to recall the aircraft. In July 1967, Engen passed command of ''America'' in

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and he returned to the US. In September 1967 he received his Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from the

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

. In September 1968 he was assigned to the Chief of Naval Operations and headed the Aviation Plans Branch until February 1970. He then headed the Strategic Plans Branch until June 1971, a service for which he was awarded the Legion of Merit. In July 1971 he was appointed commander of Carrier Division Four and was awarded a Gold Star to the Legion of Merit for his service during this period. In June 1973, he was appointed Deputy Commander in Chief

United States Naval Forces Europe United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa (CNE-CNA), is the United States Navy component command of the United States European Command and United States Africa Command. Prior to 2020, CNE-CNA was previously referred to as United States Naval Forces ...

, his final command was as Deputy Commander in Chief US Atlantic Command. Engen retired in 1978 with the rank of Vice-admiral.

Private career

Following his retirement from the Navy, Engen managed the Piper Aircraft plant in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal ci ...

Government career

In 1982 he was appointed to the National Transportation Safety Board. On 10 April 1984 he was appointed Administrator of the FAA and held this role until 2 July 1987. In 1996 he was appointed Director of the National Air and Space Museum, a position which he held until his death.

Personal life

He married Mary Baker on 23 September 1943 before being deployed to the Pacific theatre. The couple had four children: 3 sons (Travis, Charles and Christopher) and a daughter (Candace Ellis).

Death

He and William S. Ivans died on 13 July 1999 when the glider they were flying broke up in flight near Minden, Nevada. He was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Awards

* James H. Doolittle Award (1984) *Yuri A. Gagarin Gold Medal (1992) * L. Welch Pogue Award for Lifetime Achievement in Aviation (1996) *

Naval Aviation Hall of Honor The United States Naval Aviation Hall of Honor, located at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida, recognizes individuals "who by their actions or achievements made outstanding contributions to Naval Aviation." Since its inception ...

(2004) Engen was a recipient of the following military decorations and service medals: Navy Cross, Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with Gold Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with two Gold Stars, Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four Bronze Engagement Stars, World War II Victory Medal, China Service Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal with ASIA Clasp, National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with Bronze Star, Philippine Liberation Ribbon with Bronze Star. Additionally, he was awarded the Korean Presidential Unit Citation Badge, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Badge and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device.

Memorials

250px, Donald D. Engen observation tower beside the entrance of the National_Air_and_Space_Museum_.html" ;"title="Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum ">Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum *The Donald D. Engen Observation Tower at the

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, also called the Udvar-Hazy Center, is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM)'s annex at Washington Dulles International Airport in the Chantilly area of Fairfax County, Virginia. It holds numerous ...

is named after him, while the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar is named after his wife *The Naval Intelligence Professionals VADM Donald D. Engen Naval Intelligence Foundation Scholarship * The Aero Club Trophy for Aviation Excellence is awarded annually by the Aero Club of Washington, D.C. Renamed the Donald D. Engen Aero Club Trophy for Aviation Excellence. The permanent Trophy resides in the National Air & Space Museum. The criteria for the trophy include: technological advances; development of aviation policy acts of courage or professionalism; and lifetime achievements in the aviation field.

References

External links

*
U.S. Navy profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Engen, Donald D. 1924 births 1999 deaths United States Navy personnel of the Korean War United States Navy personnel of World War II American Korean War pilots American test pilots Aviators from California Burials at Arlington National Cemetery George Washington University School of Business alumni Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Naval Aviators United States Navy vice admirals United States Navy pilots of World War II Military personnel from California People from Pomona, California Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Accidental deaths in Nevada Pasadena High School (California) alumni National Transportation Safety Board personnel Administrators of the Federal Aviation Administration Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1999 Reagan administration personnel