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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Leader

Honored by:

George Spangenberg was born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1912, spent his high school years in the Boston area, and earned BSE and MSE degrees in aeronautical engineering at the University of Michigan in 1934-35.

Mr. Spangenberg's career in Naval Aviation began in 1935 at the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia, PA. There he was a member of the group that created an early version of what has become today's cruise missile.

In 1939 he was selected for transfer to the then Bureau of Aeronautics in Washington, D.C. and served in the group later titled the Evaluation Division, becoming its Director in 1957. In this position he was responsible for establishing overall design requirements for all new naval aircraft and missiles, conducting design competitions, evaluating the contractors' proposals and recommending to higher authority the selection and procurement of the designs that would best serve the Navy's needs. He participated in establishing engineering requirements, source selection, development and production of all naval aircraft from the Corsairs and Hellcats of World War II (WWII) to the Tomcats, Prowlers, Vikings, and Orions that serve in the fleet in 2001.

Mr. Spangenberg's engineering expertise and uncompromising integrity in his evaluations and recommendations were legendary in naval aviation circles. In the congressionally-directed competition/fly-off between the McDonnell F4H and the Vought F8U-3 in 1958 he recommended Navy procurement of both aircraft, but the Congressional Budget would allow only one. He then recommended the F4H, but frequently lamented afterwards that the F8U-3 was "the best airplane we never did buy." His technical knowledge and reputation became critical in his opposition to the F-111B and other proposed aircraft which were not suitable for use by the Navy and never made it to the fleet.

After a long career in Naval Aviation, George Spangenberg retired from the Naval Air Systems Command in 1973, where he had served as Evaluation Division Director for fifteen years. He served as an ad hoc consultant on Naval Aviation matters after that, never faltering in his desire to see that naval aviators were provided with the best aircraft obtainable.

His other interests included gardening and a well-equipped cabinet shop in his home. His woodworking creations ranged from innovative kitchen cabinets to furniture, wooden sculptures, and even musical instruments.

George Spangenberg was among the few to be selected as an Honorary Naval Aviator (#12 in 1973). He was awarded the Distinguished Navy Civilian Service Award in 1963, the Superior Navy Civilian Service Award in 1970, and became an Honorary "Golden Eagle" in 1993. He was an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Fellow and received the AIAA Sylvanus Albert Reed Award in 1976. His articles were published in many trade journals, including the "Armed Forces Journal," "Astronautics and Aeronautics," "Military Science and Technology," "Wings of Gold," and "The Gold Book of Naval Aviation."

George passed away in 2000.

Sources: Harold Andrews and George Spangenberg papers, compiled by Walter Spangenberg, Jr., Captain, USN (Ret).