David O. Swain Research Paper

Tristan Gilliland

Mr. Bynum and Mrs. Silva

Networking AM

29 October 2014

Swain’s Aerospace Contribution

Introduction “Aviation is proof that given, the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible” (Brainyquote.com). Eddie Rickenbacker describes the ability of the human mind to achieve the impossible by creating the means to fly. This statement epitomizes David O. Swain –Aerospace Engineer and former Senior Vice President of Boeing- and the contributions to technology, aviation, and the world he helped provide. Without the revolutionary technology he was a part of today’s military would not be the same.

Biographical Information David O. Swain was born July 30th, 1942, in the town of Liston, Indiana. His parents were owners of

Swain was senior vice president at McDonnell Douglas at the time of the merger with Boeing, during this time development and research had been started on a new type of jet fighter for the U.S. Military, called the F-18 Super Hornet (Boeing: F/A-18E/F Super Hornet). However, the history of jets stretches back to the experimental jet engines of World War II, and the first combat operational jet fighter belonged to the German Luftwaffe; it was called the Messerschmitt 262 or ME 262. According to Kennedy Hickman, the Messerschmitt’s development truly began in 1939 before the war and was code named Projekt P.1065. The development was met with mixed reviews as many of the veteran Luftwaffe officers believed that the classic piston engine planes would be the planes to win the Second World War, not experimental jet engines. The first test flight was the 18th of April, 1941, the Me 262 was running a Junkers Jumo 210 Prop Engine because the flight was only to test the airframe of the plane, it also gave time for the finishing of the BMW 003 turbojets and their fitting (Me-262). Testing continued for just over a year and the final “pure” jet Me 262 was flown on July 18th, 1942. The jet was operational still 9 months earlier than any other jet. The Me 262 was a major threat to the allies during World War II, they claimed a total of 509 Allied kills, while reporting only 100 loses. After the war the Allies researched the planes technology after capturing the rest after their victory, the Me 262 had direct connection to future fighters as its elements were incorporated into them, and example is the U.S. F-86 Sabre which was used in action during the Vietnam war. It was also used in high speed testing and research, and the same plane was mimicked by Czechoslovakian government as the Avia S-92 and the CS-92 (Hickman). The development of the German Messerschmitt 262 led to the development of jet engine technology that has led to the jet fighters we know to this