Most Successful Aircraft Designer

[Jim Oxley]

The reason why I hadn't included Messerschmitt in the above is that other than the Bf-108 and Bf-109, most of the designs that came out of his company stemmed from other designers efforts - Robert Lusser and Waldemar Voigt being an example.

From 1938 Willy was appointed chairman and managing director, and as such moved away from design to running the company.

You may notice that Kelly Johnson (the brilliant chief designer of Lockheed) is also not amonst those mentioned. Thats because most of his creative work occurred after the war.

[Tony Williams]

You forgot R. Mitchell, who designed the Spitfire. Only one plane (he died in 1937 IIRC) but what a plane...in service for the start of the war, still one of the best fighters at the end of it.

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion forum

[drgondog]

Jim - I think you'll find that Kelly Johnson was THE guy on both the P-38 and P-80.

You probably have to consider Nortrup as one of your candidates

Edgar Schmued is more properly the designer of the P-51, the P-82, the P-86 (future F-86), the B-45 (first USAF four jet bomber), the FJ-1 Fury for Navy and the FJ-2 plus the F-100 while he was at North American. The Navion was also his design... so his career extended well beyond WWII

Under his leadership at Northrup he designed the T-38 and F-5 before finally retiring for good as a consultant.

He would rank as my all time aircraft Design engineer..

Willy Messerschmidt certainly has to be one of the very top designers also.

Regards,

Bill Marshall

[George Hopp]

The reason why I hadn't included Messerschmitt in the above is that other than the Bf-108 and Bf-109, most of the designs that came out of his company stemmed from other designers efforts - Robert Lusser and Waldemar Voigt being an example.

Well, actually, Robert Lusser, who came to Mtt from Heinkel in the autumn of 1933, also shared with Mtt the design of the Bf 108 and the Bf 109.

And, Messerschmidt should be Messerschmitt.