Biographical Sketches

ALFRED VICTOR VERVILLE

Born: November 16, 1890    In: Atlantic Mine, MI
Died: March 10, 1970    In: La Jolla, CA

Alfred Victor Verville was an aviation pioneer and aircraft designer responsible for a number of important innovations in aircraft design, including welded-steel-frame fuselages and retractable landing gear. He began work with the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Co in 1914 and by the end of WW1 had worked for a number of manufacturers, including Thomas-Morse 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 Army Air Service Engineering Division at McCook Field OH (1918-25). 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 ’30s and ’40s he was a consultant at the Bureau of Air Commerce (1932, 1939-41) and Department of Commerce (1933-36), at Douglas Aircraft (1937-38), at Curtiss-Wright (1941-42), at Snead Aircraft (1942), and at Drexel Aviation Co (1942-45). In 1945 he served as a member of the Naval Technical Mission to Europe and later joined the USN’s Bureau of Aeronautics (1946-61). He retired in 1961, but continued to support aviation until his death.

Denotes an individual known to have soloed an aircraft prior to December 16, 1917, whether they were members of the "Early Birds of Aviation" Organization or not.