Alfred Victor Verville Papers
Alfred Victor Verville (1890-1970), aviation pioneer and aircraft designer, was responsible for a number of important inventions in aircraft design, including welded-steel-frame fuselages and retractable landing gear. He began work with the Curtiss Aeroplane Co in 1914 and, by the end of World War I had moved through a number of manufacturers, including Curtiss (1914), T-M Airplane Co (1915), General Airplane Co (1915-17), and Fisher Body Corp, Airplane Division (1917-18). In 1918 he became involved in military aviation at the United States Army Air Corp Engineering Division, McCook Field , OH (1918-25) and served as advisor to Colonel William Mitchell during his inspection trip to Europe (1922). In 1925 he co-founded the Buhl-Verville Aircraft Co (1925-27) before striking out on his own with the Verville Aircraft Co (1928-31). Through the 1930s and 1940s he acted in a number of capacities, including periods as a consultant (1932, 1939-41); at the Bureau of Air Commerce, United States Department of Commerce (1933-36); Douglas Aircraft (1937-38); Curtiss Wright Corp (1941-42), Snead Aircraft, Technical Division (1942); and Drexel Aviation Co (1942-45). In 1945 he served as a member of the Naval Technical Mission to Europe and later joined the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics (1946-61). He retired in 1961, but continued to support aviation and aeronautics until his death.
