Peter M. Bowers (May 15, 1918 – April 27, 2003) was an aeronautical engineer, airplane designer, and a journalist and historian specializing in the field of

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes airplane, fixed-wing and helicopter, rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as aerostat, lighter- ...

."Bowers Fly Baby 1A"

Museum of Flight The Museum of Flight is a private non-profit air and space museum in the Seattle metropolitan area. It is located at the southern end of King County International Airport (Boeing Field) in the city of Tukwila, immediately south of Seattle. ...

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

, retrieved June 7, 2022 Spangler, Scott
"Classic Caretaker: As the Fly Baby celebrated its 50th birthday, one builder preserved his affordable flier."
December 12, 2012, ''Kitplanes,'' retrieved July 8, 2022"History of the Fly Baby,"

The Hangar Flight Museum The Hangar Flight Museum, formerly known as the Aero Space Museum of Calgary is a museum located south of Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. History The museum was founded in 1975 as the Aero Space Museum Association of C ...

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, Canada, retrieved July 8, 2022 An engineer for planemaker

Boeing 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 ...

for over 35 years,"Over 10,000 Attend 20th Annual Conference and Trade Show,"
April 1, 2003 '' Airport Journals,'' retrieved July 10, 2022 Bowers is famed in the aviation community for his role as a military and general aviation historian and writer, and designer of the popular

Personal and early life

Bowers lived in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

, Washington for most of his life. Bowers' first ride in an aircraft was in 1928, at the age of 10. He began intensively designing and building aircraft models, which led to requests for plans and articles about them from editors of model airplane magazines—his first article appearing in 1938 in ''Air Trails.''''Antique Plane Guide,'' Modern Aircraft Series, Sports Car Press, NY, 1962 (back cover bio note) Bowers took a course in aeronautical engineering at the Boeing School of Aeronautics in Seattle, then enrolled as an Engineering Cadet in the Army Air Corps. 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, and after, Bowers spent five years in the U.S.

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

as a maintenance and intelligence officer, before his discharge in 1947.

Aeronautical career

Following his 1947 discharge from the military, Bowers went to work for The Boeing Company in Seattle, eventually becoming an aeronautical and research engineer for the company, and remained with the company for 36 years.author bio note in "The Alexander Bullet: Flying too far ahead of its time,"
July 1981, ''

AOPA Pilot 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 ...

'' retrieved July 10, 2022 Bowers learned to fly in 1948, and by 1962 had reportedly logged over 3,000 hours of flight time, mostly in sailplanes,

homebuilt aircraft Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...

, antique aircraft, and "other romantic types"—becoming "an internationally-known consultant on aviation history and sport flying." Bowers' designing and building of model aircraft evolved into developing actual, full-size aircraft. In 1961, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first trans-continental flight, Bowers crafted a reproduction of the Wright Brothers'

Vin Fiz Flyer The ''Vin Fiz Flyer'' was an early Wright Brothers Model EX pusher biplane that in 1911 became the first aircraft to fly coast-to-coast across the U.S., a journey that took almost three months. History The publisher William Randolph Hearst ha ...

(first plane to fly across the U.S.). The plane was built to airworthy standards, and flown as a towed glider, before becoming a display in the

San Diego Air and Space Museum San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM, formerly the San Diego Aerospace Museum) is an aviation and space exploration museum in San Diego, California, United States. The museum is located in Balboa Park and is housed in the former Ford Building, ...

."Vin Fiz Flies in the Museum's Rotunda,"

San Diego Air & Space Museum San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM, formerly the San Diego Aerospace Museum) is an aviation and space exploration museum in San Diego, California, United States. The museum is located in Balboa Park and is housed in the former Ford Building, ...

, retrieved July 10, 2022 Starting in the 1950s, and culminating in 1962, Bowers designed a noted homebuilt aircraft, the

Bowers Fly Baby The Bowers Fly Baby is a homebuilt, single-seat, open-cockpit, wood and fabric low-wing monoplane that was designed by famed United States aircraft designer and Boeing historian, Peter M. Bowers.Experimental Aircraft Association The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 200,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapt ...

—one of the most successful homebuilt designs, eventually built by over 500 homebuilders)"Bowers Fly Baby Model 1A,"
Pima Air Museum,

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, retrieved July 8, 2022 Bowers also designed and built the Namu II, and also completed and flew a Detroit G1 Gull

primary glider Primary gliders are a category of aircraft that enjoyed worldwide popularity during the 1920s and 1930s as people strove for simple and inexpensive ways to learn to fly.Schweizer, Paul A: ''Wings Like Eagles, The Story of Soaring in the United Sta ...

.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory,

Soaring Magazine ''SOARING'' is a magazine published monthly as a membership benefit of the Soaring Society of America. It was first published in 1937. The headquarters is in Hobbs, New Mexico. The magazine's article topics include safety issues and accounts of in ...

,'' page 40.

Soaring Society of America The Soaring Society of America (SSA) was founded at the instigation of Warren E. Eaton to promote the sport of soaring in the USA and internationally. The first meeting was held in New York City in the McGraw–Hill Building on February 20, 193 ...

November 1983. USPS 499–920 Under its Fly Baby entry, '' Jane's All The World's Aircraft'', 1964–1965, says of Bowers:

Mr. Peter Bowers, an
aeronautical engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is sim ...
with Boeing in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...
, is a principal source of detailed information on vintage aircraft in the United States, and has provided much of the data for a number of replicas of 1914-18 War aircraft now under construction or flying. He is currently engaged on a redesign of the Fokker D.VIII monoplane of 1918 in association with Herr
Rheinhold Platz Reinhold Platz (16 January 1886 – 15 September 1966) was a German aircraft designer and manufacturer in service of the Dutch company Fokker. Platz was hired by Fokker in 1912 as a welder. His first hands-on projects were to weld the frame p ...
, the original designer, with a view to starting a replica building program. A full-scale Fokker Triplane replica of this period has been under construction by Mr. Bowers for nearly five years. At least six others are known to be under construction from plans that he has provided. Another aircraft built by Mr. Bowers is a full-scale replica of the
Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright i ...
Model EX of 1911, the first aeroplane to cross the American continent. This machine was tested as a towed sailplane in the Autumn of 1961 and is to be powered by a converted "B" Ford automobile engine from a 1938 Funk monoplane. In addition to this work on replicas, Mr. Bowers has designed and built a single-seat light aircraft known as the Fly Baby...

Bowers was the founding president of the EAA's Chapter 26, in the Seattle area.

Aviation media career

One of the principal U.S. aviation historians of the 20th Century,Goyer, Isabel
"The Bowers Fly Baby: An Underappreciated Classic Homebuilt"
June 7, 2022, ''Plane & Pilot,'' retrieved July 8, 2022Tegler, Jan
"An Interview With Col. Walter J. Boyne, USAF (Ret.)"
June 7, 2012, Defense Media Network, retrieved July 8, 2022 Bowers wrote or co-authored over 40 aviation books, and several hundred magazine and journal articles. His first articles, about his model airplane designs, appeared in ''Air Trails'' magazine in 1938. By the time his plans for his full-sized airplane, the Fly Baby, began appearing in the EAA magazine ''Sport Aviation,'' in 1963, he had already published his first books about aircraft. Bowers was an avid aviation photographer—particularly noted for photography of historic aircraft—accumulating over 25,000 negatives in his collection by 1962. The photos further supported his publications. The collection became known as one of the largest such collections in the nation, and is now in the archives of the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Bowers wrote a text on the subject, ''A Complete Guide to Aviation Photography'' (TAB Books, 1980), which was reprinted in several subsequent editions. In the 1960s, Bowers was among a small handful of writers chronicling U.S. military aviation. He served as a contributing editor for Sentry Publications' twin magazine titles ''Wings'' and ''Airpower'', drawing on the lifetime of aviation photographs of his own, and of a vast archive collected through his employment at

. Bowers was a member of the first Board of Directors of the

American Aviation Historical Society The American Aviation Historical Society (AAHS) is a non-profit organization "dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of he history ofAmerican aviation.""AAHS Mission," Winter 2019, ''AAHS Journal,'' vol.64, no.4, page 242, retrieved May 1 ...

"Introducing The Members," ''AAHS Journal'' Vol. 1, No. 1 (AAHS), and a principal contributor to the ''AAHS Journal'' from its first issue in 1956 until the late 1960s."AAHS Journal Volume 1 (1956) Table of Contents"
APT Collectibles (affiliate of AAHS), retrieved April 31, 2021"AAHS Journal Volume 2 (1957) Table of Contents"
APT Collectables (affiliate of AAHS), retrieved April 31, 2021"AAHS Journal Volume 11 (1966) Table of Contents"
APT Collectables (affiliate of AAHS), retrieved April 31, 2021 Starting in 1972, Bowers wrote over 800 articles detailing historic

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or by using the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in ...

for a column in ''General Aviation News'' called "Of Wings and Things." Bowers was a fixture of the newspaper for decades, until his death in 2003.

Awards and recognition

* 1962: Winner of the

Experimental Aircraft Association The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 200,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapt ...

's 1962 Design Contest (reportedly the only one ever held), for his

, for Outstanding Contribution to the Advancement of Light Aircraft"Call-Up For Recognition,"
November 1968, EAA ''Sport Aviation,'' pp.48-49 retrieved July 10, 2022 * 1968: service to the EAA award. * 2002: Books with Swanborough recommended, by '' Air and Space Magazine,'' as two top sources on early American military aircraft. Building a Great Air and Space Library,"March 2002, Air and Space Magazine, retrieved July 10, 2022 * 2017: Stearman book identified as one of three "quasi-classic" histories of the man and the planes by HistoryNet.comHandleman, Philip
"Aviation History Book Review: ''An American Adventure''"
August 22, 2017, HistoryNet.com, retrieved July 10, 2022

Death

Bowers died in 2003 from cancer.

Publications

During his career, Bowers authored or co-authored over 40 books on aviation subjects, and over 800 magazine and journal articles. This is a partial list.

Magazines & Journals

*''Air Trails'' *''AOPA Pilot'' *''Sport Aviation,''

(EAA) *''AAHS Journal'',

*''Air Classics''Table of Contents
''Air Classics,'' February 2018 *''Airpower'' (Sentry Publications) *''Wings'' (Sentry Publications) *''Western Flyer'' (1972, began his aviation history column "Of Wings and Things")Johnsen, Frederick
"Of Wings & Things returns,"
March 13, 2017, '' General Aviation News'' retrieved July 10, 2022 *''General Aviation News'' ("Of Wings and Things" column, continued. His columns are partially compiled in the book ''Of Wings & Things, Vol. 1: 1972-1979,'' 2000)

Books

Bowers authored or co-authored over 40 aviation books, including a dozen about aircraft of Boeing (or about aircraft of companies that Boeing acquired).

Aviation generally

*''Soaring guide,'' with Robert L. Parks, 1966 *''Soaring in America,'' 2nd Ed.,

, Inc. 1967 *''Modern Aviation Library'' Vol. 2 No. 202, with Don Downie, Robert T. Smith, Harold Krier, 1979 * ''A Complete Guide to Aviation Photography,'' 1st ed., March 1980, (6th ed., 1988), TAB Books, Blue Ridge, Pennsylvania, ISBN 0-8306-0924-5

Aircraft generally

*''Antique Plane Guide,'' Modern Aircraft Series, Sports Car Press, NY, 1962; 1981 *''Yesterday's Wings,'' 1974 * ''Pedigree of Champions: Boeing since 1916'' (6th ed.), May 1985, The Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington, LOC: 85–71915. *''The DC-3: 50 Years of Legendary Flight,'' May 1, 1986 *''Curtiss Aircraft, 1907-1947,'' 1987Hallion, Richard P: book review, liste
"Reviewed Works: ''Curtiss Aircraft, 1907-1947'' by Peter M. Bowers; ''McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920'' by René J. Francillon,"
''Technology and Culture,'' Vol. 23, No. 1 (January, 1982), pp. 133-136, The

Johns Hopkins University Press The Johns Hopkins University Press (also referred to as JHU Press or JHUP) is the publishing division of Johns Hopkins University. It was founded in 1878 and is the oldest continuously running university press in the United States. The press publ ...

, https://doi.org/10.2307/3104476, as listed a
JStor
retrieved July 10, 2022] *''Unconventional Aircraft,'' April 1, 1990 *''Scale Aircraft Drawings: World War 2, Vol. 2,'' 1991 *''Lockheed Constellation: Design, Development, and Service History of all Civil and Military Constellations, Super Constellations, and Starliners,'' with Curtis K. Stringfellow,'' December 1, 1991 *''Triplanes: A Pictorial History of the World's Triplanes and Multiplanes,'' with Ernest R. McDowell, 1993 *''Wings of Stearman: The Story of Lloyd Stearman and the Classic Stearman Biplanes,'' Historic Aircraft Series, December 1, 1998, ASIN : ‎ B08GKTCCSH *''Of Wings & Things, Vol. 1: 1972–1979,'' 2000 *''America's Outstanding Aircraft of World War II: Plus Odd Aircraft,'' October 15, 2011 *''Scale Aircraft Drawings,'' September 10, 2021 *''Stearman Guidebook: Book 1: American Aircraft Series,'' with Mitch Mayborn

Civilian aircraft

*''Guide to Homebuilts,'' Modern Aircraft Series, Sports Car Press, NY, 1962; 1984 *''Fly Baby Builders Manual,'' 1964 *''Flying the Boeing Model Eighty,'' 1984

Military aircraft

*''The Sixty Best Airplanes of World War One (60),'' 1960 *''World War Two: Outstanding U.S. Aircraft Plus Odd Aircraft,'' 1961 *''Aircraft Profile'' series, Profile Publications Ltd. (U.K.): :*''Aircraft Profile No. 14: The Boeing P-26A,'' 1965 :*''Aircraft Profile No. 37: The Curtiss JN-4,'' 1965 :*''Aircraft Profile No. 45: The Curtiss Army Hawks,'' 1965 :*''Aircraft Profile No. 2: The Boeing P-12E,'' 1966 :*''Aircraft Profile No. 79: The Nieuport N.28C-I,'' 1966 :*''Aircraft Profile No. 80: The Curtiss Hawk 75,'' 1966 :*''Aircraft Profile No. 83: The Boeing B-47,'' 1966 :*''Aircraft Profile No. 97: The American DH4,'' 1966 :*''Aircraft Profile No. 116: The Curtiss Navy Hawks,'' 1966 :*''Aircraft Profile No. 245: Boeing B-52A/H Stratofortress,'' ASIN: B0007BNZS6, 1972 *''Fortress in the Sky: The Story of Boeing's B-17,'' 1976 *''United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911,'' with Gordon Swanborough ,''

Naval Institute Press The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds se ...

, Annapolis, MD, 1976 (Second Edition, 1982) *''50th Anniversary: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1935-1985,'' 1985 *''United States Military Aircraft Since 1909,'' with Gordon Swanborough,

Smithsonian Institution Press The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

, August 1, 1989 *''United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911,'' with Gordon Swanborough,

, 1990 *''Scale Aircraft Drawings: Volume I - World War I and Volume II - World War II,'' 1991 *''Boeing B-29 Superfortress - Warbirdtech Vol 14,'' April 14, 1999 *''Buzz Numbers,'' with W. David Menard, July 11, 2006 *''The Fokkers of World War I: Hobby Helpers Library, No. 150,'' with ''Air Progress'' magazine, October 13, 2012

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowers, Peter M. 1918 births 2003 deaths American historians Aviation historians Aviation writers American aviation writers American aviation historians American photographers American aerospace engineers American science journalists American male journalists 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American engineers United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers