Born 2 November 1894 at Munich, Germany. Received his
Engineering Doctorate from Heidelberg University in
Physical Sciences.
Subsequent to service in the German Army in World War I,
he began theoretical studies which led to his first
successful tailless design, a glider, in 1921.
With the flight of his rocket-powered glider in 1928 he
had assembled all the elements of aerodynamic theory to
confirm the feasibility of tailless, delta wing, high-speed
aircraft; in 1934 he proposed such a design.
In 1940, working with the Messerschmitt Company, he
successfully demonstrated the ME-163 rocket-powered
interceptor at speeds in excess of 342 miles per hour,
a world record. In 1941 this aircraft achieved 623 miles
per hour. Manned rocket-powered flight had become a part
of aero history.
After World War II, Alexander Lippisch came to the United
States where he continued study and experimentation for
the United States Air Force. His final experiments
addressed ground-effects phenomena. Died 1976.
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