Arling H. Schmidt
(1924-2016)

Arling "Pud" Schmidt was fascinated at an early age by airplanes, and translated that early love into a lifelong career in aviation. After returning from World War II (as gunners mate in the Navy, USS Arcturus), Arling embarked on a long career that began with the early helicopter pioneer Frank Piasecki and culminated by retiring from Boeing with almost 35 years of experience in 1986, as a senior aeronautical weights engineer. After retirement, Arling continued his work in aviation as a consultant for a number of aviation companies. In 1989, Arling was awarded as a prestigious Fellow from the Society of Allied Weight Engineers for his contributions to the aviation industry. Arling wrote a number of highly regarded technical papers on weight estimating including "Tilt Rotor Aircraft Wing Weight Based on Natural Frequency," many of which are still used in the industry today. While working at Boeing, Arling worked on every major Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) helicopter (including the Osprey) and military helicopter proposal since 1955, ranging from the small Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) to the large Heavy Lift Helicopter (HLH), more than 25 in all. While working briefly for General Electric Missile and Space Division in 1959, Arling developed exact mathematical equations for volume and center of gravity for nose cones. Arling was called back by Boeing after retirement to assist in developing methods for estimating the weights of special versions of the proposed Light Helicopter Experimental (LHX) program. Also in retirement, Arling volunteered as a docent during the first few years of the American Helicopter Museum and Education Center, West Chester, PA. Arling Schmidt, a pioneer in American helicopter history, left a legacy used by aeronautical engineers today.