|
EDWARD J. HORKEY
NORTH AMERICAN AVIATION
|
Without
Ed Horkey and the work he did at North American
Aviation, Inc., it is likely that many of us would
not have enjoyed so many thousands of hours in
the F-86 Sabre, as well as the T-6 Texan, P-S
1 Mustang, F-82 Twin Mustang, B-45 Tornado, and
F-100 Super Sabre. Born in 1916, Ed graduated from the California Institute
of Technology with advanced degrees in mechanical
and aeronautical engineering. He began working
at the Guggenheim Aeronautical Wind Tunnel, then
went with North American in 1938.
|
|
|
There he was active in such
fields as aerodynamics, thermodynamics, and wind
tunnel and flight-testing. In all, he spent fifty
nine years in aerospace and related technologies.
He had
a giant impact on North American aircraft, and probably
will best be remembered for his leadership in developing
the laminar flow airfoil (a major reason for the
success of the P-51), and the “all-flying
tail” used on all models of the F-86 except
for the “A”. The “all-flying tail”,
more than any other single feature, may well have
provided the Sabre pilot with the margin needed
to defeat the MiG-1 5 in the skies over Korea.
|
|
|
Ed’s
many contributions included the manufacture
and sale of drop tanks, pylons and ejection
mechanisms, connectors, and plastics.
He held several patents and had patents
pending. In later years at North American,
he worked in the Space Division as Director
of Apollo Ground Support Equipment.
Ed believed in personal contact and observation
of the military customers who used North
American equipment. He made many trips
to organizations in the field, to see
first hand what the problems were. One
of these trips was to Korea with the first
shipment of F-86Es. He was accompanied
by George Welch, the legendary North American
Chief Engineering Test Pilot at
that time.
|
|
|
After
watching the Sabre operations at K-13 (Suwon), he
was heard to remark, “I never realized we
built the F-86 to be used like this!” He was
particularly impressed with the 5000x200 foot runway
with no taxi strips, requiring the returning Sabres
to land on one side of the runway and taxi back
on the opposite side as other Sabres were landing.
Ed Horkey also visited the USS Midway during the
Carrier tests of the XFJ-2 Fury, which was essentially
a modified F-86E. He wanted to see how the Fury
stacked up against the Grumman F9F-6 Cougar and
Vought F7U-3 Cutlass.
|
|
In
“retirement”, Ed could always be found
at the Reno National Air Race, and at the EAA
gatherings at Oshkosh - and always near his beloved
P-51 Mustangs.
Most recently, Sabre pilots will remember that
Ed was the principal
speaker at the Sabre Jet dedication in Freedom
Park at Nellis AFB, during the 9th Reunion of
the Sabre Pilots Association. At that time, Ed
reviewed how the F-86 was born, and he made one
fact very clear - the F-86 Sabres that flew in
Korea were the key to preventing a Chinese Communist
victory in 1953.
In August 1996, the North American Aircraft Division’s
annual reunion honored the F-86 Sabre. Held at
the Santa Maria (CA) Museum of Flight, the event
also honored Ed Horkey for his contribution to
the F-86 program.
|
|
|
A
fund was established in Ed’s name, and it
was agreed to dedicate his technical papers, writings,
and memorabilia as part of a new wing of the Museum
of Flight. Sadly for all of us, Ed Horkey was not
present. This
renowned engineer and friend of fighter pilots in
general, and Sabre pilots in particular, died on
28July 1996. He will be missed, but never forgotten
for his memory will be seen in every flying F-86
ar P-51; and forever in photographs of those great
machines. THANKS ED!
A special note of recognition and thanks to Santa
Maria Museum of Flight member John Henderson, former
Tech Rep for North American Aviation and close friend
of Ed Horkey for providing this account of his many
achievements. Mr. Henderson is the current Museum
Conservator of Ed Horkey’s North American
Aviation’s Technical and Research Documents
contained within the Edward J Horkey Memorial Research
Library located in the Museum’s Early Aviation
Hangar (Formerly a Hangar Movie Prop for the Walt
Disney Movie “Rocketeer”).
|
|
|
Sierra
Library Security Guard Dog
|
|
|
|
|