V. Ralph Pruitt (born July 31, 1936) was an engineer at McDonnell Douglas who won the

Wright Brothers Medal The Wright Brothers Medal was conceived of in 1924 by the Dayton Section of the Society of Automotive Engineers, and the SAE established it in 1927 to recognize individuals who have made notable contributions in the engineering, design, developmen ...

in 1974 with

Michael J. Wendl Michael John Wendl (born June 6, 1934) is an engineer who worked at the McDonnell-Douglas Corporation, mainly in the area of aerospace control. He is noted primarily as one of the early developers of terrain following technologyKrachmalnick, F.M. ...

Gordon G. Grose Gordon Glen Grose (March 21, 1925 - March 11, 1993) was an engineer at the McDonnell-Douglas Corporation. He won the Wright Brothers Medal in 1974 with Michael J. Wendl, J. L. Porter, and Ralph Pruitt for a paper discussing future aircraft designs ...

, and J. L. Porter for a paper discussing future aircraft designs that integrate fly-by-wire controls with engine inlets/nozzles and advanced pilot displays.Wendl, M.J., Grose, G.G., Porter, J.L., and Pruitt, V.R. (1974
''Flight/Propulsion Control Integration Aspects of Energy Management''
Society of Automotive Engineers paper number 740480.

Biography

Pruitt attended Oklahoma State, graduating with a BS in aerospace engineering and later earned a master's degree in computer science from the University of Missouri. His engineering career spanned work in the design, development, and operational testing of aircraft and spacecraft systems. He was also trained as an aircraft accident investigator and was the director of the systems safety program during the design and development of the

F-15 Eagle The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's ...

.Gregory, J. (1980) ''Who's Who in Engineering'', 4th ed., American Association of Engineering Societies.

Awards

1974

References

American aerospace engineers Living people 1936 births {{US-mechanical-engineer-stub