Wygle, Brien S.

Person

Staff Only

Dates

Existence: 1924 - 2020

Biographical Note: Brien S. Wygle

Brien S. Wygle is a World War II veteran and test pilot who worked for the Boeing Company for 39 years. He was born on August 23, 1924 in Seattle, Washington to Aurelian and Christine Wygle. When he was three years old, his family returned to their family farm in Alberta, Canada.

Wygle joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942 and underwent operational training in the Lockheed Hudson. After serving an anti-submarine assignment in Nova Scotia, he was deployed to England in 1944. There, he transitioned to the Douglas C-47 Skytrain and participated in training exercises for the upcoming Normandy landings. Shortly before D-Day, he was selected for reassignment to the China-Burma-India Theater, where he served with 436 Squadron. During his time in the CBI, he flew over 200 air drop missions in support of Allied troops.

After the end of World War II, Wygle served as a transport pilot in Allied-occupied Europe. He returned to Canada in 1946 and earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of British Columbia. While in college, he served with the RCAF Reserve and worked as an airline pilot for Queen Charlotte Airlines.

After completing his degree, Wygle applied to several Canadian and American aviation companies in the hopes of becoming a test pilot. He was ultimately hired by the Boeing Company and relocated to Wichita, Kansas in 1951. During his 39-year career with the company, Wygle participated in test flights for numerous Boeing aircraft, including the B-47 Stratojet, B-52 Stratofortress, Model 367-80, 707, 727, 737, and 747. He retired in 1990 as Vice President of Flight Operations.

Wygle served for many years on the Museum of Flight Board of Trustees. He died in 2020.

Source:

Biography derived from collection materials.

Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:

Biographical Information Files - W

Sub-Group

Scope and Contents Individuals whose names begin with W: Wackett, Lawrence, Sir [Director, Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation] "Some Experiences of a Pioneer in the Aircraft Industry in Australia." Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society, May 1959. Waddell, Jack [Boeing engineering test pilot] "Getting Ready for the Big One," Boeing magazine, December 1968 ...

Dates: 20th Century

Found in: The Museum of Flight Archives / The Museum of Flight Biographical Information Files

Brien S. Wygle Collection

Collection

Identifier: 2020-09-17

Contents of the Collection The Brien S. Wygle Collection is a small collection primarily consisting of logbooks and certificates, licenses, and awards documenting Wygle's service in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II through his career at the Boeing Company as a test pilot. The logbooks span 1943 to 2008 and document his military service, his time flying as a commercial pilot with Queen Charlotte Airlines in 1950, and his Boeing career beginning in May 1951. There is a gap in the logs from...

Dates: 1939-1990

Found in: The Museum of Flight Archives

Wygle, Brien S. -- oral history interview, 2013 November 13

File

Interview Summary Test pilot Brien Wygle is interviewed about his decade-spanning career in the aviation industry. He describes his flight experiences prior to his work at Boeing, including his RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) service as a transport pilot during and after World War II and his time as an airline pilot with Queen Charlotte Airlines. He then discusses his test pilot career at the Boeing Company and his involvement with various aircraft, including the Boeing B-47 Stratojet, B-52 Stratofortress,...

Dates: 2013 November 13

Found in: The Museum of Flight Archives / The Museum of Flight Oral History Collection

Archives at The Museum of Flight