Learning Center
Our Enshrinees
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Enshrined: 1981
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Birth: December 21, 1892
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Death: December 13, 1923
Lawrence Burst Sperry Sr.
- Demonstrated his father’s gyrostabilizer in front of a large crowd at the international airplane safety competition in Paris, France on June 18th, 1914 which earned the Sperrys a 50,000 franc prize.
- Conceived of a three-way gyrostabilizer to steer bombing planes in 1915.
- Developed the first amphibious flying boat in 1915 and added lights to it to make night flights.
- Became one of the first civilians commissioned in the Navy Flying Corps Reserve before the U.S. entered World War I.
- Formed the Sperry Aircraft Company in 1917 to perfect the gyrostabilizer and other flight instruments.
- Helped develop the aerial torpedo during World War I.
- Developed a triplane amphibian in 1918 for the Navy and an improved self-contained parachute.
- Built the Sperry Messenger biplane for the Army Air Service, followed by the Verville-Sperry Racer which featured a retractable landing gear, clean wing design, and won the 1924 Pulitzer Trophy Race.
- Converted the Messenger into a private sport plane that can be kept in an ordinary garage in 1922. He later added a releasable landing gear, fuselage skids, and a top wing hook to permit in-flight refueling.
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Enshrined: 1981
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Birth: December 21, 1892
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Death: December 13, 1923
You’re Invited 2023 Enshrinement
Join us for the “Oscar Night of Aviation” as we induct a new group of aviation leaders into the National Aviation Hall of Fame!
Friday, September 22, 2023
National Building Museum | Washington, DC
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