Wiesner, Wayne
Biographical Note
Wayne Wiesner (1916-2007) was a Boeing Company employee and engineer.
Wayne Wiesner was born on July 5, 1916 in Silverton, Oregon to Archibald B. and Helen (Sawyer) Wiesner. He had three siblings. In 1940, Wiesner graduated from Oregon State College with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. A year later he graduated from New York University with a Master's in Aerospace Engineering. He also took advanced course at Stanford University in dynamics. From 1941-1946 he worked for Kellett Aircraft Corporation in various research areas. In 1942-1946, Wiesner taught aerodynamics for Penn State College. In 1946, he joined Hiller Aircraft Corporation in Palo Alto, California as Engineering Manager, where he worked on the H-23 helicopter. In 1952, he became Chief Project Engineer and Staff Engineer for Hiller and contributed on the XROE-1 One-Man Helicopter, the Flying Flatform, and the X-18 Tilt Wing Propelloplane. His last five years with Hiller, he also taught special courses at Stanford Univerity.
Wiesner left Hiller in 1960 to join the Boeing Company in Seattle, Washington where he was initially the Rotary Wing Staff Engineer. He also contributed to the CH-46 and CH-47 programs. In 1971 he moved to the Vertol Division of Boeing, where he focused on rotors and became the Manager of Civil Helicopter Research and Development. From 1973-1977 he directed the Wind Energy program at Boeing Vertol. He then became the Systems Manager of the Mod-2 wind turbine program. From 1980-1985, he contributed to the Mod-5B wind turbine program. He remained with Boeing until at least 1990, as he was awarded the 30-year service pin. His exact retirement date is unknown.
Wayne married Janet Ritchens (1919-2008) on August 30, 1941. The couple had three children. Wiesner was a founding member of the American Helicopter Society (AHS) and in 1982 he was awarded the Dr. Alexander Klemin Award by the AHS. He was also an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics as well as a member of the National Guard. Wayne Wiesner died on December 6, 2007 in Kent, Washington state.