This is a list of notable aerospace engineers, people who were trained in or practiced aerospace engineering and design.
A Talbert Abrams (1895–1990) – aerial photography and plexiglas pioneer, designer of the Abrams P-1 Explorer Gerd Achgelis (1908–1991) – helicopter pioneer Jakob Ackeret (1898–1981) – aerodynamicist, proposed the Mach number Clément Ader (1841–1925) – early aviation pioneer Bruce Aikenhead (1923–2019) – Avro Canada, NASA Buzz Aldrin (born 1930) – astronaut, mechanical engineer and second person to walk on the Moon Rostislav Alexeyev (1916–1980) – ground effect vehicle designer Edmund T. Allen (1896–1943) – engineer, test pilot Harry Julian Allen (1910–1977) – NASA, inventor of blunt body re-entry vehicles Gwen Alston (1907–1993) – aerodynamicist Oleg Antonov (1906–1984) – founder of the OKB-153 Antonov design bureau Neil Armstrong (1930–2012) – astronaut, aeronautical engineer and first person to walk on the Moon Yuri Artsutanov (1929–2019) – space elevator pioneer Holt Ashley (1923–2006) – researched aeroelasticity Lee Atwood (1904–1999) – North American Aviation engineer
B Brunolf Baade (1904–1969) – lead designer of the Baade 152 Erich Bachem (1906–1960) – designer of the Bachem Ba 349 Natter rocket plane Leonard Bairstow (1880–1963) – National Physical Laboratory (United Kingdom) researcher Herman Barkey (1909–2005) – led the design team for the McDonnell Aircraft F-4 Phantom V. P. Barmin (1909–1993) – designer of the rocket launch complex Frank Barnwell (1880–1938) – chief engineer Bristol Aeroplane Company Robert Ludvigovich Bartini (1897–1974) – designer of the Bartini Beriev VVA-14 and other experimental projects, founder of the OKB-86 design bureau Yaakov Bar-Shalom (born 1941) – researcher of target tracking L. E. Baynes (1902–1989) – designer of the Baynes Bat tank glider Jim Bede (1933–2015) Hermann Behrbohm (1907–1977) – aerodynamicist at Messerschmidt and Saab Rex Beisel (1893–1972) – lead engineer at Curtiss and Vought Giuseppe Mario Bellanca (1886–1960) – aircraft pioneer, blended wing designer Viktor Nikolayevich Belyaev (1896—1953) – strength engineer, designer of the Belyayev DB-LK Dwight Henry Bennett (1917–2002) – developed Fly-by-wire technology, helped design the F2Y, F-102, F-4 Phantom, F/A-18 Thomas W. Benoist (1874–1917) – early airline entrepreneur Igor Bensen (1917–2000) – autogyro designer Max Bentele (1909–2006) – jet engine pioneer Aleksandr Bereznyak (1912–1974) – designer of the BI-1 rocket plane Georgy Beriev (1903–1979) – founder of the OKB-49 Beriev design bureau J. D. Bernal (1901–1971) – invented the Bernal sphere for space habitation Albert Betz (1885–1968) – designer and researcher Paul Bevilaqua (born 1945) – lift fan inventor Ronald Eric Bishop (1903–1989) - chief designer of the de Havilland Mosquito Matus Bisnovat (1905–1977) – missile designer Robert Blackburn (1885–1955) – aviation pioneer Louis Blériot (1872–1936) – aviation pioneer George Eugene Bockrath (1911–1998) – researched fracture mechanics Hendrik Wade Bode (1905–1982) – NASA advisor Jenny Body – former President of the Royal Aeronautical Society William Boeing (1881–1956) – founder of Boeing Charles Bolden (born 1946) – NASA Administrator Viktor Bolkhovitinov (1899–1970) – lead designer of the Bolkhovitinov DB-A bomber, founder of the OKB-293 design bureau Ludwig Bölkow (1912–2003) – aerodynamicist for the Me 262 Alan Bond (born 1944) – designed spaceplanes and an SST Philip Bono (1921–1993) – space launcher developer Frank Borman (1928-2023) – commanded first mission to circle the Moon Karel Bossart (1904–1975) – lead designer of the Atlas ICBM Enea Bossi Sr. (1888–1963) – aviation pioneer William Hawley Bowlus (1896–1967) – glider designer John Boyd (1927–1997) – created the energy–maneuverability theory Frances Bradfield (1895–1967) – wind tunnel researcher Ferdinand Brandner (1903–1986) – aircraft engine designer Erik Bratt (1916–2010) – lead designer at Saab AB Vance Breese (1904–1973) – engineer and test pilot Louis Charles Breguet (1880–1955) – aviation pioneer, founder of Bréguet Aviation Maurice Brennan (1913–1986) – designer of flying boats, helicopters, transports, rockets, hovercraft Yvonne Brill (1924–2013) – electrothermal hydrazine thruster Lars Brising (1915-1995) – chief designer of the Saab 29 Tunnan Arthur E. Bryson (born 1925) – "father of modern optimal control theory" Isabelle Buret – engineer specializing in telecommunications and astronautics Vincent Burnelli (1895–1964) – blended wing and lifting body designer Anne Burns (1915–2001) – wind shear expert Adolf Busemann (1901–1986) – swept wing Robert W. Bussard (1928–2007) – designer of nuclear thermal rocket engines Fedor Ivanovich Bylinkin – aviation pioneer
C Sydney Camm (1893–1966) – Hawker Hurricane designer Secondo Campini (1904–1980) – jet engine pioneer Giovanni Caproni (1886–1957) – founder of Caproni Albert Caquot (1881–1976) – aviation pioneer George Carter (1889–1969) – designer of the Gloster Meteor Mario Castoldi (1888–1968) – chief designer at Aeronautica Macchi Beatrice Mabel Cave-Browne-Cave (1874–1947) – undertook pioneering work in the mathematics of aeronautics George Cayley (1773–1857) – notable for his research in aerodynamics Clyde Cessna (1879–1954) – early aircraft designer and founder of Cessna Roy Chadwick (1893–1947) – design engineer for the Avro Company Roger Chaffee (1935–1967) – Apollo 1 fire victim on January 27, 1967 George Henry Challenger (1881–1947) – engineer with the Bristol Aeroplane Company and later with Vickers Jim Chamberlin (1915–1981) – Avro Canada, NASA Roy Chaplin (1899–1988) – Hawker Aircraft George Chapline Jr. (born 1942) – proposer of a fission-fragment rocket Kalpana Chawla (1961–2003) – died in the Columbia disaster Vladimir Chelomey (1914–1984) – founder of the OKB-52 rocket design bureau Boris Ivanovich Cheranovsky (1896–1960) – flying wing designer Boris Chertok (1912–2011) – space program control systems designer Chu Chia-Jen (1900–1985) Thomas P. Christie (born 1934) – mathematician, co-creator of the Energy–maneuverability theory with John Boyd Zbysław Ciołkosz (1902–1960) – introduced the use of shaft turbine power for helicopters John Drury Clark (1907–1988) – developer of jet and rocket fuel Val Cleaver (1917–1977) – rocket engineer Henri Coandă (1886–1972) – inventor of the jet engine Richard Coar (1921–2013) – RJ10 rocket engine designer Christopher Cockerell (1910–1999) – hovercraft inventor Dandridge MacFarlan Cole (1921–1965) – Titan II designer Franklin R. Collbohm (1907–1990) – Douglas test pilot, engineer, and executive, co-founder of the RAND Corporation Giuseppe Colombo (1920–1984) – developed the gravitational assist profile used in the Mariner 10 mission to Mercury, invented the space tether Nicholas Comper (1897–1939) – designer of the Comper Swift Philip M. Condit (born 1941) – former CEO of Boeing René Couzinet (1904–1956) – invented retractable landing gear Eugene E. Covert (1926–2015) – wind tunnel designer Ray Creasey (1921–1976) aerodynamicist, helped design the BAC Lightning Gaetano Crocco (1877–1968) – rocketry pioneer Scott Crossfield (1921–2006) – first man to fly faster than twice the speed of sound in NAA's X-15 Alwyn Crow (1894–1965) – rocket designer Irv Culver (1911–1999) – P-38 designer Glenn Curtiss (1878–1930) – founder of the US aircraft industry Kazimierz Czarnecki (1916–2005) – NACA and NASA engineer
D Werner Dahm (1917–2008) Frederick Dallenbach – Auxiliary power unit designer Corradino D'Ascanio (1891–1981) – helicopter pioneer Marcel Dassault (1892–1986) Serge Dassault (1925–2018) Arthur Davenport (1891–1976) – Westland Aircraft Fred David (1898–1992) – designer at Heinkel, Mitsubishi, Aichi Kokuki and Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation Stuart Davies (1906–1995) – designed the Avro Lancaster and Vulcan Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) Geoffrey de Havilland (1882–1965) Louis de Monge (1890–1977) – blended wing inventor Juan de la Cierva (1895–1936) – inventor of the autogyro Satish Dhawan (1920–2002) Walter Stuart Diehl (1893–1976) – created US Navy test facilities, authored Engineering Aerodynamics Bertil Dillner (1923–2015) – engineer at Saab and Boeing Paul Bernard Dilworth (1915–2007) Heini Dittmar (1911–1960) – record-breaking pilot Jurgis Dobkevičius (1900–1926) – Lithuanian aviation constructor, military pilot Takeo Doi (1904–1996) – designer for Kawasaki Aircraft Industries Tom Dolan – developed the lunar orbit rendezvous concept for the Apollo program Roy Dommett (1933–2015) – the United Kingdom's Chief Missile Scientist Charles J. Donlan (1916–2011) – NASA manager Allen F. Donovan (1914–1995) WW2 aircraft, Atlas and Titan missiles, nuclear rockets Jimmy Doolittle (1896–1993) – instrument flying developer Étienne Dormoy (1885–1959) – airplane and autogyro designer Claude Dornier (1884–1969) Anatoly Dorodnitsyn (1910–1994) – researched meteorology, vortex wing theory, boundary layer theory in a compressible gas, and supersonic gas dynamics Donald W. Douglas (1892–1981) – founder of the Douglas Aircraft Company George Dowty (1901–1975) – designer of aircraft components Charles Stark Draper (1901–1987) – developed inertial navigation Hugh Latimer Dryden (1898–1965) – researcher and NASA administrator Guy du Merle (1908–1993) – engineer, test flew captured Bf 109 and He 111 in Spain Alberto Santos Dumont (1873–1932) – inventor of the dirigible; aeronautics pioneer J. W. Dunne (1875–1949) – invented the first delta wing Pedro Duque (born 1963) – engineer and astronaut William F. Durand (1859–1958) – propeller designer, NACA chair Ludwig Dürr (1878–1956) – airship designer Leonid Dushkin (1910–1990) – rocket engine designer
E George Edwards (1908–2003) – designer at Vickers-Armstrongs and BAC Alfred J. Eggers (1922–2006) – NACA / NASA researcher, developed re-entry bodies and compression lift, managed Pioneer program Joe Engle (1932–2024) – astronaut Robert Esnault-Pelterie (1881–1957) – aviation and rocketry pioneer, invented the center stick Walter Extra (born 1954) – aerobatic aircraft designer
F Maxime Faget (1921–2004) – designer of the Project Mercury spacecraft Ole Fahlin (1901–1992) – propeller and prototype airplane developer Sherman Fairchild (1896–1971) – founded Fairchild Aircraft Charles Richard Fairey (1857–1956) – founder of the Fairey Aviation Company Farman Brothers Richard Farman (1872–1940) Henri Farman (1874–1958) Maurice Farman (1877–1964) Robert W. Farquhar (1932–2015) – NASA engineer, inventor of the halo orbit Roy Fedden (1885–1973) – British engine designer for Bristol Engine Company Bobak Ferdowsi (born 1979) – JPL flight engineer Antonio Ferri (1912–1975) – created the Ferri scoop used on the jet intakes of the XF-103, F-105, XF8U-3, and SSM-N-9 Regulus II cruise missile, and the diverterless supersonic inlet used on the F-35 Gerhard Fieseler (1896–1987) – German aircraft designer Harold Finger (born 1924) – Project NERVA lead engineer Gary Flandro (born 1934) – NASA researcher, conceived the Planetary Grand Tour fulfilled by the Voyager program Alexander H. Flax (1921–2014) – developer of tandem helicopters and reconnaissance satellites Anton Flettner (1885–1961) – helicopter pioneer Nicolas Florine (1891–1972) – helicopter pioneer James C. Floyd (born 1914) – Avro Canada designer Henrich Focke (1890–1979) – helicopter pioneer Anthony Fokker (1890–1939) Henry Folland (1889–1954) – chief designer at Nieuport, Gloster, and Folland Aircraft Edward Forman (1912–1973) – co-founder of JPL, Aerojet Robert L. Forward (1932–2002) – designer of solar sails and space tethers Harlan D. Fowler (1895–1982) – Fowler flap inventor John Fozard (1928–1996) – Hawker Siddeley Harrier designer Anselm Franz (1900–1994) – jet engine pioneer Stelio Frati (1919–2010) – designer of several aircraft inc the SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 Leslie Frise (1895–1979) – designed the Type 156 Bristol Beaufighter John Carver Meadows Frost (1915–1979) – chief designer of the Avro Canada CF-100 and several VTOL projects Michimasa Fujino (born 1960) – Hondajet designer
G Giuseppe Gabrielli (1903–1987) – aircraft designer Robert Gilruth (1913–2000) – engineer, NACA and NASA administrator Peter Glaser (1923–2014) – developed the solar power satellite John Glenn (1921–2016) – first American man to orbit the Earth in 1962 Valentin Glushko (1908–1989) Robert Goddard (1882–1945) – scientist who developed the first liquid-fueled rocket 3-16-26 Tadeusz Góra (1918–2010) Fritz Gosslau (1898–1965) – V-1 flying bomb designer Arthur Gouge (1890–1962) – designed the "C-class" Empire and Sunderland flying boats, invented the Gouge flap Granville Brothers – GeeBee racers Zantford Granville Thomas Granville Robert Granville Mark Granville Edward Granville Jay Greene (1942–2017) Alan Arnold Griffith (1893–1963) – jet engine designer Gus Grissom (1926–1967) – Apollo 1 fire victim on January 27, 1967 Gordon G. Grose (1925–1993) – integrated fly-by-wire controls with engine inlets/nozzles and advanced pilot displays Gu Songfen (born 1930) – participated in the design of the Shenyang JJ-1, chief designer of the Shenyang J-8 and Shenyang J-8II Guan De (1932–2018) – aeroelasticity engineer, participated in the design and development of the Shenyang JJ-1, the Shenyang J-8 and the Shenyang J-8II Leroy Grumman (1895–1982) – founder of Grumman Aircraft Tore Gullstrand (1921–2002) – chief engineer at Saab Siegfried and Walter Günter (1899–1969)(1899–1937) – jet aircraft pioneers Mikhail Gurevich (1893–1976) – co-founder of the OKB-155 MiG design bureau Bartolomeu de Gusmão (1685–1724) – Portuguese priest, aircraft designer Antanas Gustaitis (1898–1941) – Lithuanian aircraft designer, Brigadier General, Commander-in-Chief of Lithuanian Air Force
H Wolfgang Haack (1902–1994) B. J. Habibie (1936–2019) Raoul Hafner (1905–1980) – helicopter pioneer Edward N. Hall (1914–2006) – Minuteman ICBM engineer Eugen Hänle (1924–1975) – sailplane designer Julius Hatry (1906–2000) – built the first rocket plane Harry Hawker (1889–1921) – test pilot, formed Hawker Aircraft Willis Hawkins (1913–2004) – design lead of the L-133 and C-130 Clinton H. Havill (1892–1953) – researched airships and propellers Richard E. Hayden (born 1946) – noise reduction developer Wallace D. Hayes (1918–2001) – discoverer of the area rule and hypersonics Edward H. Heinemann (1908–1991) – Chief Engineer for Douglas Aircraft, designed 20 military aircraft Ernst Heinkel (1888–1958) – developed first jet rocket aircraft Chris Heintz (1938–2021) – kit plane designer Scarlin Hernandez (born 1991) – aerospace engineer for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Heinrich Hertel (1901–1982) – He 100, He 111, Do 635 designer Hall Hibbard (1903–1996) – Lockheed engineer Homer Hickam (born 1943) – NASA engineer, model rocketry enthusiast Geoffrey T. R. Hill (1895–1955) – designer of the Westland-Hill Pterodactyls and co-developed the aero-isoclinic wing Stanley Hiller (1924–2006) – founder Hiller Aircraft Hellmuth Hirth (1886–1938) – aircraft engine designer, brother of Wolf Hirth Wolf Hirth (1900–1959) – sailplane designer, brother of Hellmuth Hirth Leonard S. Hobbs (1896–1977) – engine designer John Hodge (1929–2021) – Avro Canada, NASA Sighard F. Hoerner (1906—1971) – aerodynamicist, assisted the Fieseler Fi 156 Storch design Nicholas J. Hoff (1906–1997) Samuel Kurtz Hoffman (1902–1995) – rocket engine designer Kurt Hohenemser (1906–2001) – helicopter pioneer Walter Hohmann (1880–1945) – invented the Hohmann transfer orbit Peter K. Homer (born 1961) Stanley Hooker (1907–1984) – British engine engineer for Rolls-Royce Aerospace Ralph Hooper (1926–2022) – Hawker Siddeley Harrier developer Jiro Horikoshi (1903–1982) – chief engineer for the Mitsubishi A6M Horten brothers – flying wing designers Walter Horten (1913–1998) Reimar Horten (1915–1994) John Houbolt (1919–2014) – NASA engineer, lunar orbit rendezvous proponent Kathleen Howell – known for her contributions to dynamical systems theory applied to spacecraft trajectory Hsue-Chu Tsien (1914–1997) – aeronautical engineer Howard Hughes (1905–1976) – aerospace engineer, owned RKO movie studio Huang Zhiqian (1914–1965) – lead designer of the Shenyang J-8 Jerome Clarke Hunsaker (1886–1984) – pioneer of heavier and lighter than air aircraft Rick Husband (1957–2003) – died in the Columbia disaster François Hussenot (1912–1951) – inventor of one of the early forms of the flight recorder
I Sergey Ilyushin (1894–1977) – founder of the OKB-39 Ilyushin design bureau Aleksei Isaev (1908–1971) – rocket engine designer Hideo Itokawa (1912–1999) – aircraft and rocket designer at Nakajima Aircraft Company Sergey Izotov (1917–1983) – aircraft engine designer, founder of the OKB-117 design bureau
J Mary Jackson (1921–2005) – NASA engineer Eastman Jacobs (1902–1987) – advanced wind tunnels, airfoils, turbulence, boundary layers, and Schlieren photography Hans Jacobs (1907–1994) – sailplane pioneer Jack James (1920–2001) – Mariner program manager Antony Jameson (born 1934) – pioneered computational fluid dynamics Robert P. Johannes (1934–2004) – developed Fly-by-wire technology Clarence "Kelly" Johnson (1910–1990) – formed Lockheed's Skunk Works and led the design of the SR-71, U-2, F-117A, F-104, C-130, T-33, P-38, and Constellations Katherine Johnson (1918–2020) – mathematician who worked as an aerospace technologist at NASA Robert Thomas Jones (1910–1999) – aeronautical engineer at NASA Drago Jovanovich (1916–1983) – rotorcraft designer Charles Joy (1911–1989) – engineer at Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft, Gloster Aircraft Company. and Handley Page Hugo Junkers (1859–1935) – pioneered the design of all-metal airplanes
K Rudolf Kaiser (1922–1991) – sailplane designer A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (1931–2015) – former President of India, "Missile Man of India" Charles Kaman (1919–2011) – helicopter pioneer Nikolai Kamov (1902–1973) – founder of the Kamov design bureau Abraham Karem (born 1937) – founder of UAV (drone) technology Alexander Kartveli (1896–1974) – Chief Engineer at Republic Aviation, contributor to first aerospace vehicle prototypes Otto Kauba (1908-1962) – designer of the Škoda-Kauba SK 257, co-designer of the Škoda-Kauba P14 Harold R. Kaufman (1926-2018) – developed first ion thrusters David Keith-Lucas (1911–1997) – engineer at Short Brothers Mstislav Keldysh (1911–1978) – rocket and spacecraft designer W. Wallace Kellett (1891–1951) – Kellett Autogiro Corporation Thomas J. Kelly (1929–2002) – leader of the Apollo Lunar Module design team Benjamin S. Kelsey (1906–1981) – wrote specification for P-38 Lightning, P-39 Airacobra, drop tanks, served on X-15 committee Alexander Kemurdzhian (1921–2003) – mechanical engineer who is best known for designing Lunokhod 1, the first lunar rover Sergey Khristianovich (1908–2000) – aerodynamicist Dutch Kindelberger (1895–1962) – Chief Engineer at Douglas Aircraft and head of North American Aviation Klapmeier brothers (born 1958) (born 1961) – founders of Cirrus Aircraft Milton Klein (1924–2022) – nuclear rocket engineer Vladimir Yakovlevich Klimov (1892—1962) – aircraft engine designer, founder of the OKB-45 Klimov design bureau Ave K. Kludze, Jr. (born 1967?) – NASA engineer Heinz-Hermann Koelle (1925–2011) – von Braun associate Yuri Kondratyuk (1897–1942) – first developer of the lunar orbit rendezvous concept Otto C. Koppen (1901–1991) – MIT professor, designer for Ford and Helio Courier Yuri Koptev (born 1940) – engineer, former Roscosmos General Director Sergey Korolev (1907–1966) – Korolev rocket design bureau founder Semyon Kosberg (1903–1965) – lead engine designer at OKB-154 Gleb Kotelnikov (1872–1944) – parachute pioneer Frank Kozloski (1916–2003) – rotorcraft and missile developer Chris Kraft (1924–2019) – NASA administrator Eugene Kranz (born 1933) – aeronautical engineer Werner Krüger (1910–2003) – inventor of the Krueger flap Dietrich Küchemann (1911–1976) – aerodynamicist Nikolai Dmitriyevich Kuznetsov (1911–1995) – engine designer, founder of the OKB-276 Kuznetsov design bureau
L Gustav Lachmann (1896–1966) – designer at Handley-Page Barry Laight (1920–2012) – designer of the Blackburn Buccaneer Aarne Lakomaa (1914–2001) – involved in the design of the Saab 35 Draken and the Saab 37 Viggen Frederick W. Lanchester (1868–1946) – aerodynamicist Geoffrey A. Landis (born 1955) – NASA engineer, interplanetary exploration Samuel Pierpont Langley (1834–1906) – aircraft pioneer Agnew E. Larsen (1897–1969) – engineer at Curtiss and Pitcairn Conrad Lau (1921–1964) – lead designer of the XF8U-3 and A-7 Corsair Semyon Lavochkin (1900–1960) – founder of the OKB-301 Lavochkin design bureau Lovell Lawrence Jr. (1915–1971) – co-founder of Reaction Motors Bill Lear (1902–1978) – founder of Learjet Jerome F. Lederer (1902–2004) – aviation-safety pioneer René Leduc (1898–1968) – designer of the ramjet-powered Leduc 0.10 Diane Lemaire (1923–2012) – first woman to graduate from the University of Melbourne with a degree in engineering Léon Levavasseur (1863–1922) – aviation pioneer David S. Lewis (1917–2003) – F-4 Phantom II program manager George W. Lewis (1882–1948) – NACA administrator Gordon Lewis (1924–2010) – turbine engine designer Fuk Li (born 1953) – JPL Mars Exploration Directorate manager Robert Lickley (1912–1998) – Chief Engineer at Fairey Aviation Company Robert H. Liebeck (1938–2026) – airfoil and blended wing body designer Otto Lilienthal (1848–1896) Charles Lindbergh (1902–1974) – made first solo transatlantic airplane flight from NY to Paris in 1927 on Spirit of St. Louis Per Lindstrand (born 1948) – balloons and other aircraft Alexander Lippisch (1894–1976) Claude Lipscomb (1887–1974) – designer of the Short Stirling Boris Lisunov (1898–1946) – engineered a copy of the DC-3 William Littlewood – contributed to the design and operational requirements of transport aircraft Olof Ljungström (1918–2013) – engineer at Saab, taught aircraft design at Stanford University and Caltech Allan Lockheed (1889–1969) – co-founder of the Lockheed Corporation Malcolm Lockheed (1886–1958) – co-founder of the Lockheed Corporation Grover Loening (1888–1976) – awarded first ever degree in aeronautical engineering Robert Loewy (1926–2025) – rotor-wing VTOL aircraft designer Roy LoPresti (1929–2002) – general aviation designer Samuel Jasper Loring (1914–1963) – researched aeroelastic flutter problems George Low (1926–1984) – aerodynamicist and NASA administrator Gleb Lozino-Lozinskiy (1909–2001) – General Designer of the NPO Molniya design bureau, lead designer of the Buran space shuttle Lu Xiaopeng (1920–2000) – designer of the Nanchang Q-5 and the Nanchang J-12 Heinrich Lübbe (1884–1940) – Anthony Fokker collaborator Glynn Lunney (1936–2021) – Apollo program Robert Lusser (1899–1969) – designer at Messerschmitt, Heinkel, and Fieseler Jean-Marie Luton (1942–2020) – ESA Director General Arkhip Lyulka (1908–1984) – engine designer, founder of the OKB-165 Lyulka design bureau Lev Lyulyev (1908–1985) – artillery, rocket, and missile designer, founder of the OKB-8 design bureau
M Paul MacCready (1925–2007) – human-powered aircraft designer Elsie MacGill (1905–1980) – chief aeronautical engineer at Canadian Car and Foundry (CC&F) Ernst Mach (1838–1916) – physicist, studied shock waves Georg Hans Madelung (1889–1972) – V-1 designer Peyton M. Magruder (1911–1982) – lead designer of the Martin B-26 Viktor Makeyev (1924–1985) – SLBM designer Frank Malina (1912–1981) – rocket engineer, JPL administrator John C. Mankins – NASA space-based solar power researcher Frank E. Marble (1918–2014) Frederick Marriott (1805–1884) Glenn L. Martin (1886–1955) – founder of the Glenn L. Martin Company Hans Mauch (1906–1984) – jet engine pioneer, artificial limb developer Mark D. Maughmer (born 1950) – aerodynamicist Owen Maynard (1924–2000) – Avro Canada, NASA William C. McCool (1961–2003) – died in the Columbia disaster James Smith McDonnell (1899–1980) – founder of McDonnell Aircraft Corporation Colin R. McInnes (born 1968) – solar sail researcher Marion O. McKinney Jr. (1921–1999) – NACA and NASA engineer, researched VTOL flight William B. McLean (1914–1976) – lead designer of the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile George J. Mead (1891–1949) – engine designer William C. Mentzer (1907–1971) – contributed to aircraft maintenance and economics Wilhelm Messerschmitt (1898–1978) – designed Bf 109 and jet powered Me 262 Artem Mikoyan (1905–1970) – co-founder of the OKB-155 MiG design bureau Mikhail Mil (1909–1970) – founder and general designer of the OKB-329 Mil design bureau Alexander Mikulin (1895–1985) – engine designer, founded the OKB-24 Mikulin design bureau Frederick George Miles (1903–1976) – designer at Miles Aircraft, husband of Maxine Blossom Miles John W. Miles (1920–2008) – pioneer in theoretical fluid mechanics Maxine Blossom Miles (1901–1984) – pilot, designer, draughtswoman, aerodynamicist and stress engineer, designer of the Miles Hawk Clark Blanchard Millikan (1903–1966) – professor of aeronautics Arseny Mironov (1917–2019) – Russian scientist, aerospace engineer and aircraft pilot Don Mitchell (1915–1993) – sailplane designer R. J. Mitchell (1895–1937) – designed the Spitfire aircraft Swati Mohan – Mars 2020 engineer Paul Moller (born 1936) – circular aircraft designer Montgolfier brothers (1740–1810) (1745–1799) – inventors of the hot air balloon John J. Montgomery (1858–1911) Albert Mooney (1906–1986) – general aviation designer Hans Moravec (born 1948) – space tether developer Morien Morgan (1912–1978) – 'Father of the Concorde' George Mueller (1918–2015) – NASA administrator Tom Mueller (born 1961) – SpaceX Engineer & Impulse Space Founder Alan Mulally (born 1945) – Boeing executive and President of Ford Hans Multhopp (1913–1972) Elon Musk (born 1971) – founder of SpaceX and co-founder of Tesla Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev (1902–1978) – founder of the OKB-23 Myasishchev design bureau
N Aleksandr Nadiradze (1914–1987) – Soviet Georgian ballistic missile and rocket engineer James C. Nance (1927–2019) – aircraft nuclear propulsion engineer Gerhard Neumann (1917–1997) – engineer for General Electric, contributed to the design of the J79 Édouard Nieuport (1875–1911) – aviation pioneer No Kum-sok aka Kenneth H. Rowe (1932–2022) – North Korean MiG-15 pilot defector, US aeronautical engineer and professor Umberto Nobile (1885–1978) – semi-rigid airship designer Desmond Norman (1929–2002) - co-designer of the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander John Dudley North (1893–1968) – chief engineer at Boulton Paul Aircraft Robert B. C. Noorduyn (1893–1959) – Noorduyn Norseman designer Jack Northrop (1895–1981) – founded Northrop Corporation in 1939 and later the Flying Wing Genrikh Novozhilov (1925–2019) – key designer of multiple Ilyushin passenger aircraft
O Hermann Oberth (1894–1989) – rocketry pioneer William C. Ocker (1880–1942) – instrument flying pioneer Wendy Okolo (born 1984?) – NASA engineer Gerard K. O'Neill (1927–1992) – developer of the O'Neill cylinder for space colonization
P Frederick Page (1917–2005) – lead designer of the English Electric Lightning and the BAC TSR-2 Mark Page (born 1956) – blended wing body and UAV designer Thomas O. Paine (1921–1992) – engineer, scientist, NASA administrator Paul C. Paris (1930–2017) – known for introducing fracture mechanics to the aviation industry Bob Parkinson (born 1941) – HOTOL spaceplane developer Jack Parsons (1914–1952) – rocket engineer, chemist, JPL founder Luigi Pascale (1923–2017) – founder and lead designer for the light aircraft firms Partenavia and Tecnam Pedro Paulet (c. 1874–1945) – rocketry pioneer Vladimir Pavlecka (1901–1980) – invented flush rivets, designed the ZMC-2 rigid airship and pressurized transports Nicolas Roland Payen (1914–2004) – delta wing developer Richard Pearse (1877–1953) – early New Zealand aircraft builder Jerome Pearson (1938–2021) – space elevator developer George Edward Pendray (1901–1987) – co-founder of Reaction Motors Harald Penrose (1904–1996) – test pilot and glider designer Edgar Percival (1897–1984) – founder of the Percival Aircraft Company Bruce Peterson (1933–2006) – NASA engineer and test pilot Anatoly Perminov (born 1945) – former Roscosmos General Director Vladimir Petlyakov (1891–1942) – founder of the Petlyakov design bureau W. E. W. (Teddy) Petter (1908–1968) – designer at Westland, English Electric, and Folland Frank Piasecki (1919–2008) – helicopter pioneer William Hayward Pickering (1910–2004) – rocketry pioneer, JPL director Rex Pierson (1891–1948) – chief designer of the Vickers Wellington Percy Pilcher (1867–1899) Harold Frederick Pitcairn (1897–1960) – autogyro developer Curtis Pitts (1915–2005) Paul Poberezny (1921–2013) – founder of the Experimental Aircraft Association Mikhail Pogosyan (born 1956) – general director of Sukhoi and United Aircraft Corporation Hermann Pohlmann (1894–1991) – designer of the Ju 87 Stuka Nikolai Polikarpov (1892–1944) – founded the Polikarpov design bureau Boris Popov – invented one of the first successful aircraft ballistic parachute systems Henry Potez (1891–1981) Herman Potočnik (1892–1929) Ludwig Prandtl (1875–1953) Ronald F. Probstein (1928–2021) – researched hypersonics including re-entry vehicle design Ralph V. Pruitt (1936–1983) – integrated fly-by-wire controls with engine inlets/nozzles and advanced pilot displays Palmer Cosslett Putnam (1900–1984) – wind-power pioneer
Q Qian Xuesen (1911–2009)
R Arthur Emmons Raymond (1899–1999) – lead designer of the DC-3 R. Dale Reed (1930–2005) – NASA lifting body designer Wendell E. Reed (c.1924-2005) – developed jet engine controls Wilfrid Thomas Reid (1887–1968) Frederick Rentschler (1887–1956) – aircraft engine designer Judith Resnik (1949–1986) Osborne Reynolds (1842–1912) Richard V. Rhode (1904–1994) – researched aerodynamic loading Ben Rich (1925–1995) – director of Lockheed's Skunk Works; contributed to SR-71 and F-117 development G. Tilghman Richards (1884–1960) – annular wing designer John M. Riebe (1921–2011) Norbert Riedel (1912–1963) – developed jet engine starting motors Robert brothers (1758–1820) (1760–1820) – balloonists Tecwyn Roberts (1925–1988) – Avro Canada, NASA Frank D. Robinson (1930–2022) – helicopter designer Alliott Verdon Roe (1877–1956) Francis Rogallo (1912–2009) – NASA engineer, created the Rogallo wing which led to hang-gliding Gertrude Rogallo (1914–2008) – wife and collaborator of Francis Rogallo Frank E. Rom (1926–2012) – NASA nuclear propulsion engineer Stuart Roosa (1933–1994) – astronaut Harold Rosen (1926–2017) – electrical engineer known as "the father of the geostationary satellite" Milton Rosen (1915–2014) – lead designer of the Vanguard rocket Jan Roskam (1930–2022) Ludwig Roth (1909–1967) Carlo Rubbia (born 1934) – fission-fragment rocket proposer Edward J. Ruppelt (1923–1960) – director of Project Blue Book Archibald Russell (1904–1995) – designed the Concorde, Blenheim, Britannia, and Type 188 Burt Rutan (born 1943) – airplane and spacecraft designer Tubal Claude Ryan (1898–1982) – founder of the Ryan Aeronautical Company Yuri Alekseevich Ryzhov (1930–2017) – aerodynamicist
S Friedrich Wilhelm Sander (1885–1938) – pyrotechnics and rocket technology engineer Eugen Sänger (1905–1964) – spaceplane designer Irene Sänger-Bredt (1911–1983) – wife and collaborator of Eugen Sänger George S. Schairer (1913–2004) – lead designer at Consolidated and Boeing Helmut Schelp (1912–1994) – jet engine pioneer Alexander Schleicher (1901–1968) – sailplane designer Paul Schmidt (1898–1976) – V-1 engine designer Edgar Schmued (1899–1985) – lead engineer on the P-51, F-86, F-100, F-5, T-38 Edmund Schneider (1901-1968) – glider designer including the Schneider Grunau Baby Raemer Schreiber (1910–1998) – nuclear rocket engine designer Bernard Schriever (1910–2005) – managed ICBM development Schweizer brothers – sailplane designers Paul Schweizer (1913–2004) William Schweizer (1917–2016) Ernest Schweizer (1912–2000) William T. Schwendler (1904-1978) – co-founder of Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation Robert Seamans (1918–2008) – engineer, NACA and NASA administrator William R. Sears (1913–2002) – flying wing designer Ernest Edwin Sechler (1905–1979) – researched thin-shell structures Anita Sengupta – led the JPL team that designed the Curiosity Mars rover parachute system Lucien Servanty (1909–1973) – SO.6000 Triton and Concorde designer Alexander P. de Seversky (1894–1974) – founder of Seversky Aircraft, later Republic Aviation Joseph Francis Shea (1925–1999) – NASA Administrator for the Apollo Program Beatrice Shilling (1909–1990) – perfected the carburetor on the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine Leonid Shkadov (1927–2003) – aircraft development and optimization engineer Nevil Shute (1899–1960) – aeronautical engineer and author Arkady Shvetsov (1892–1953) – chief engine designer at the OKB-19 design bureau Igor Sikorsky (1889–1972) – pioneered helicopters Ozires Silva (born 1931) – founder of Embraer Abe Silverstein (1908–2001) – engineer, NACA and NASA administrator Apollo M. O. Smith (1911–1997) – Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak, F3D, and F4D designer, pioneer in computational fluid dynamics Herbert Smith (1889–1977) – designer of the Sopwith Triplane John Maynard Smith (1920–2004) – military aircraft designer, later evolutionary biologist and geneticist Joseph Smith (1897–1956) – designer at Supermarine Ted R. Smith (1906–1976) – designer of the Aero Commander and Aerostar Pavel Solovyov (1917–1996) – chief engine designer at the OKB-19 design bureau Song Wencong (1930–2016) – lead designer of the Chengdu J-10 Thomas Sopwith (1888–1989) – Sopwith Aviation Company Tony Spear (1937-2024) – Mars Pathfinder project manager Percival H. Spencer (1897–1995) – designer of the Republic RC-3 Seabee Dorothy Spicer (1908–1946) – aeronautical engineer Reginald Stafford (1903–1980) – designer of the Handley Page Victor John Stack (1906–1972) – Bell X-1 designer Lloyd Stearman (1898–1975) – founder of Stearman Aircraft Adam Steltzner (born 1963) – JPL engineer for Mars rovers' entry, descent, and landing Alan Stern (born 1957) – engineer and planetary scientist, principal investigator of the New Horizons mission to Pluto Homer Joseph Stewart (1915–2007) – helped develop Explorer 1, Pioneer 4, and several rockets Edward Stinson (1893–1932) – founder of the Stinson Aircraft Company Luigi Stipa (1900–1992) – invented the "intubed propeller" Harrison Storms (1915–1992) – directed North American Aviation's Apollo Program William Bushnell Stout (1880–1956) – Ford Trimotor designer Michael Stroukoff (1883-1973) – designer of the Fairchild C-123 Provider Ernst Stuhlinger (1913–2008) – ion engine developer Pavel Sukhoi (1895–1975) – founded the OKB-51 Sukhoi design bureau Martin Summerfield (1916–1996) - co-founder of Aerojet Sun Cong (born 1961) - chief designer of the FC-31 and Shenyang J-15 Joe Sutter (1921–2016) – chief engineer for the Boeing 747 Ed Swearingen (1925–2014) – general aviation designer Clarence Syvertson (1926–2010) – NACA / NASA researcher, developed sounding rockets, compression lift, lifting bodies Victor Szebehely (1921–1977) – aerospace engineering and celestial mechanics
T Max Taitz (1904–1980) – scientist in aerodynamics and flight testing of aircraft, one of the founders of Gromov Flight Research Institute Kurt Tank (1898–1983) – designer of aircraft in Germany, Argentina, and India Clarence Gilbert Taylor (1898–1988) – designer of the Piper Cub Moulton Taylor (1912–1965) – experimental aircraft pioneer Peter Theisinger (1945–2024) – JPL Mars Exploration Rover project manager Theodore Theodorsen (1897–1978) – aerodynamicist at NACA Richard G. Thomas (1930–2006) – aeronautical engineer and test pilot Mikhail Tikhonravov (1900–1974) – rocket and spacecraft pioneer Milton Orville Thompson (1926–1993) – NASA engineer and test pilot Grigori Tokaty (1909–2003) – rocket engineer Alessandro Tonini (1885–1932) – designer at Gabardini, Macchi, and IMAM Myron Tribus (1921–2016) – deicer developer, heat transfer researcher Robert Truax (1917–2010) – Aerojet engineer, designer of the Sea Dragon heavy launch vehicle Richard Truly (1937–2024) – former astronaut and head of NASA Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857–1935) – rocketry pioneer Tu Jida (1927–2011) – participated in the development of the Shenyang JJ-1, chief designer of the Nanchang CJ-6, Shenyang J-5A, Chengdu JJ-5, and several variants of the J-7 fighter, including the Chengdu J-7M Sergey Tumansky (1901–1973) – engine designer, founder of the OKB-300 Tumansky design bureau Andrei Tupolev (1888–1972) – founder of the OKB-156 Tupolev design bureau
U Dana Ulery (born 1938) – JPL scientist, automated tracking of deep space probes Ralph Hazlett Upson (1888–1968) – designed the world's only all-metal stressed-skin airship Oskar Ursinus (1877–1952) – sailplane designer
V Max Valier (1895–1930) – rocketry pioneer Sitaram Rao Valluri (1924–2019) – researched metal fatigue Kermit Van Every (1915–1998) – high-speed aircraft designer, Douglas Aircraft Richard VanGrunsven (born 1939) – prolific kit aircraft engineer Vandi Verma – JPL robot engineer Vladimir Vetchinkin (1888–1950) – aerodynamicist Walter G. Vincenti (1917–2019) – hypersonic aircraft designer Aurel Vlaicu (1882–1913) Richard Vogt (1894–1979) – designer of asymmetrical aircraft Gabriel Voisin (1880–1973) – aviation pioneer George Volkert (1891–1978) – designed the Handley-Page Halifax Wernher von Braun (1912–1977) – German rocket pioneer Theodore von Kármán (1881–1963) Hans von Ohain (1911–1998) Fritz von Opel (1899–1971) – rocketry pioneer Chance M. Vought (1890–1930) – founder of Vought Aircraft Traian Vuia (1872–1950) – first flight with no other ground devices Gerard Vultee (1900-1938) – engineer, founder of Vultee Aircraft
W Lawrence Wackett (1896–1982) – "father of the Australian aircraft industry", lead designer of the CAC Boomerang Gerhard Waibel (born 1938) – sailplane designer Dwane Wallace (1911–1989) – early Cessna CEO and designer Richard Walker (1900–1982) – main designer for jet aircraft of Gloster Aircraft Company Barnes Wallis (1887–1979) Ken Wallis (1916–2013) – autogyro Hellmuth Walter (1900–1980) – rocket engines Frid Wänström (1905–1988) – engineer, head of calculations at Saab Joseph F. Ware Jr. (1916–2012) – Lockheed engineer and test pilot Edward Pearson Warner (1894–1958) – NACA research engineer Kyūichirō Washizu (1921–1981) – lead designer of the Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka kamikaze rocket plane Frank Wattendorf (1906–1986) – von Karman assistant, wind tunnel designer Johanna Weber (1910–2014) – aerodynamicist for the Handley-Page Victor and Concorde Fred Weick (1899–1993) – airmail pilot, NACA research engineer who designed the NACA cowl, and designer of the Ercoupe and Piper Cherokee Daniel Weihs (born 1942) Edward Curtis Wells (1910–1986) – Boeing executive and designer Ted A. Wells (1907–1991) – co-founder of Beech Aircraft Corporation Michael J. Wendl (born 1934) – developed terrain following technology, energy management theory, and integrated fly-by-wire controls with engine inlets/nozzles and advanced pilot displays Günter Wendt (1924–2010) – McDonnell Aircraft and North American Aviation engineer; pad leader, prepared all crewed Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecraft Alexander Weygers (1901–1989) – discopter designer Ray Wheeler (1927–2019) – Saunders-Roe designer of rockets and hovercraft Orville A. Wheelon (1906–1966) – invented the Verson-Wheelon process for aircraft sheet-metal forming, introduced titanium fabrication Richard Whitcomb (1921–2009) – NACA/NASA inventor of the area rule, supercritical airfoil, and winglet Ed White (1930–1967) – Apollo 1 fire victim on January 27, 1967 Gustave Whitehead (1874–1927) – aviation pioneer Frank Whittle (1907–1996) – pioneer of the jet engine Michel Wibault (1897–1963) – invented vectored thrust Robert H. Widmer (1916–2011) – lead designer on the B-36, B-58, F-111, an