RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA, August 04, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Walter Carl Yeager has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected based on current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all considered during the selection process.
Mr. Yeager's career of over 41 years encompassed the frontiers of engineering over that time frame as set forth below. He considers himself to have been very fortunate to have been a part of an amazing era of transformative engineering progress.
MISSILES
Following graduation in 1958 from Purdue University with a BS degree in Aeronautical Engineering, Propulsion Option, Mr. Yeager first worked as an Associate Engineer for Douglas Aircraft to develop a new liquid oxygen (LOX) tank vent and relief valve for use on the Thor intermediate-range ballistic missile. A LOX valve replacement was needed due to valve failures of the preceding design, and the new design was qualified for use. After the Thor valve project work was completed, Mr. Yeager joined a small team of engineers who worked to prepare a proposal for a solid rocket missile configuration for a new air-launched ballistic missile named the Skybolt.
Mr. Yeager was given a financially attractive offer for his next missile job which was in Nebraska and Kansas as a Base-Activation Engineer for General Dynamics Astronautics, deploying one each of Series D, Series E, and Series F Atlas inter-continental ballistic missiles, the final one completed shortly prior to the Cuba missile crisis in 1962. This work was completed in a little under two years. While finishing the last Series F missile work, Mr. Yeager received an offer of a job at Bendix but delayed departure until sell-off of the missile to the US Air Force. The Atlas missile work was nearing completion everywhere.
SPACECRAFT
Mr. Yeager then joined the Bendix Corporation in South Bend, Indiana, as a Design Engineer to develop a turbine power control valve for a nuclear propulsion reactor to be used with a spacecraft. The Nuclear Engine Rocket Vehicle Application (NERVA) program at Bendix was less than two years later included in the type of hardware banned by the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) agreement with Russia, so, in 1964, he returned to Southern California, where there were abundant aerospace employment opportunities.
NASA had contracted with Hughes Aircraft Company in El Segundo, California, to build spacecraft to soft land on the moon to determine the feasibility of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely. Mr. Yeager joined Hughes as a Member of the Technical Staff and helped develop vernier propulsion components for the spacecraft to control its direction, attitude, and final velocity for landing. Five Surveyor spacecrafts successfully soft landed and helped the later Apollo Program by showing how and where to land safely on the moon.
The next program at Hughes was to utilize small 5-pound thrust rockets (with hydrogen peroxide or later for the second satellite with a hydrazine mono-propellant), and design and develop a reaction-control propulsion system for use in keeping synchronous earth-orbiting satellites named Advance-Technology Satellites (ATS) at the desired station in the sky. This program showed the ability to send communications signals to and from this type of satellite without the need to move the antenna on earth and was a fore-runner for satellites such as for Direct TV, Dish TV, and many other synchronous-orbit satellites that appear at a stationary spot in the sky.
During his time at Hughes, he also furthered his expertise by obtaining a Certificate in Propulsion and Power Conversion from the University of California, Los Angeles. He also became a registered Professional Engineer in the Mechanical Field in Indiana and California, and later in the Safety Engineering Field in California. As the opportunities for advancement at Hughes were diminishing, he transitioned to his next job at the Garrett Corporation.
AUTOMOTIVE AND AIRCRAFT
Mr. Yeager joined the Garrett Corporation, which was a major supplier to almost all automotive and aerospace companies, where he was to remain for the next 30 years. The Garrett Corporation was known later by either being a part of other companies, or, through purchase or mergers, having the following names: Signal, AiResearch Manufacturing Company, AiResearch, Allied Signal, and then as Honeywell, after Honeywell was purchased by Allied Signal. The company was known as being a reputable high-tech engineering and manufacturing company for developing many components for commercial and military programs.
He worked to develop an electronic and hydromechanical fuel control for use on a new Advanced Turbofan (ATF3) business jet engine. That program and many other military-related programs were slowed or cancelled in 1970 in response to the SALT agreement. The turbocharger business at Garrett involved almost entirely only small aircraft, tractor, truck, and other commercial programs that were less affected by the cutbacks.
He then spent two years in Inside Sales and then was Director of Product Integrity for seven years, a staff position reporting to the Division Manager for assisting all departments to comply with FAA, NTSB, and other specifications. Liability claims were greatly reduced through investigation and by determining the real causes of problems. Mr. Yeager is a member of the Society of Air Safety Investigators, which allows him to participate in on-site investigations. He also held training sessions for NTSB investigators in order to help define any turbocharger problems.
Mr. Yeager desired to be more involved again in direct engineering work on aerospace programs in the Turbomachinery Engineering Group. For the next 19 years until retirement, Mr. Yeager worked at various levels from Project Engineer to Program Manager in Turbomachinery Engineering, where he was responsible for the design, development, and management of more than 27 emergency power and emergency start system programs, both large and small.
The F-16 Emergency Power System which went into production in the late 1970's continues in limited production today after more than 4,000 shipsets being delivered to more than 25 countries. In the mid 1990's, the U-2 aircraft was upgraded with a higher performance engine that required an onboard start system and over 50 shipsets of new hardware needed for the later U-2's were delivered. Many research or development programs required only two or a few more systems each. Other applications were for the F-117, X-29, X-31, Lavi, EAP, EFA, Rafael, and a few others that never made it into production.
Due to his considerable knowledge, he has conducted research on the safe handling and use of hydrazine, a toxic, high-energy, propellant fuel. He is particularly proud of the programs which concentrated on the very reliable emergency power systems of so many different aircraft. A safe landing is usually possible or at least there is minimum damage to the aircraft or to high-value ground facilities. This allows time for the pilot to bail out if necessary, and the lives of many pilots have been saved.
CONSULTING
Backed by his professional excellence, Mr. Yeager has served as a consultant at Yeager Engineering Services since 1999.
About Marquis Who's Who®
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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