Ralph Hazlett Upson Collection

This collection contains Upson's papers and notebooks. The material consists of notebooks, both general (1911-35) and experimental (1928-68) and reference files on a variety of aeronautical subjects. The collection also contains material from Upson's teaching career, as well as miscellaneous personal documents.

Ralph Hazlett Upson (1888-1968) was an aeronautical engineer, inventor and pilot. After graduation from Stevens Institute of Technology (ME 1910) he rocketed to prominence by winning the International Balloon Race (1913) and American National Balloon Race (1913, 1921). He worked as chief engineer of the aeronautical department of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. (1914-1920), during which time he flew the first United States Navy coastal patrol airship on a demonstration flight (1917) and served on the Navy Design Mission to Europe (1918-19). He then moved to the Aircraft Development Corp. (Chief Engineer 1922-27) while serving as chairman of the Lighter-Than-Air (LTA) division of the Aeronautical Safety Code Commission, US Bureau of Standards (1922-24). He went to work for Aeromarine-Klemm Corp. and a number of other companies (1928-42), during which time he designed the first successful metal-clad airship, the ZMC-2 (1929). After a brief tenure at H. J. Heinze Co. (Chief of Aeronautical Engineering (1942-44) he moved into academia at New York University (NYU, Research Specialist and Lecturer 1944-46) and the University of Minnesota (Professor of Aeronautical Engineering 1946-56; Professor Emeritus 1956-1968). Upson then worked for Boeing (Research Specialist 1956-64) and remained an active consultant until his death.