Fowler, Harlan D., 1895-1982

Born June 18, 1895, Harlan Davey Fowler grew up in Sacramento, California. Fowler married twice and had two children. He spent his professional life as an aeronautical engineer and inventor. The year 1917 marked the beginning of Fowler's life-long career as an aeronautical engineer and inventor. His greatest professional achievement was the development of the variable area wing, commonly known as the Fowler flap. The Fowler flap is a high-lift device located on the trailing edge of an airplane wing that increases wing area and lift. In 1949 the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania awarded Fowler with the John Price Wetherill Medal for the development of the "Variable Lift Airplane Wing." He died on April 27, 1982.

From the description of Harlan D. Fowler papers, 1920-1980. (San Jose Public Library). WorldCat record id: 63136072

Biographical History

Born June 18, 1895, Harlan Davey Fowler grew up in Sacramento, California. Fowler married twice and had two children. He spent his professional life as an aeronautical engineer and inventor. He died on April 27, 1982.

The year 1917 marked the beginning of Fowler's life-long career as an aeronautical engineer and inventor. Fowler worked as an independent consultant and also for a number of aeronautical firms including: Fokker, The Glenn L. Martin Co., Convair, Douglas Aircraft Co., Fowler Aircraft Co., the Bureau of Aeronautics, and the U.S. Air Force. He also patented twenty inventions, the most significant of which include: Variable-Area Wing, 1921, patent #1392005; Cargo Container for Airplanes, 1948, patent #2442459; and Convertible VTOL Aircraft, 1963, patent #3093347, and 1967, patent #3312426.

His greatest professional achievement was the development of the variable area wing, commonly known as the Fowler flap. The Fowler flap is a high-lift device located on the trailing edge of an airplane wing that increases wing area and lift. During the late 1910s and early 1920s, many engineers experimented with wings, slots and flaps to improve airplane performance. Fowler developed a flap that slid back from the wing and rotated down, creating a slot. This flap increased the curvature and area of the wing, which tunes it to operate more efficiently at lower speeds occurring during take-off and landing. The design and testing of the Fowler flap was performed as a private venture, using Fowler's own time and funds.

In the summer of 1927, Fowler and airplane mechanic Stanley Crowfoot first tested the Fowler flap. Several years of tests followed, after which the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) concluded that the Fowler flap would reduce landing speed, decrease landing and take-off runs, and improve climbing ability. In 1937 Lockheed added the flap to the Lockheed 14 twin-engine airliner. Previously the flap had been used on German planes such as the Fieseler Fi 97. Later it was used on Boeing B-29 bombers, some versions of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, and the Boeing B-17. Today, variations of the Fowler flap are still being used on many commercial aircraft.

In 1949 the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania awarded Fowler with the John Price Wetherill Medal for the development of the "Variable Lift Airplane Wing." In 1971 the Institute elected him to Life Fellow Membership. Fowler was active in the Society of Automotive Engineers and was elected to the status of Fellow in 1977.

Fowler wrote a comprehensive text on flap design, Fowler Flaps for Airplanes: An Engineering Handbook (1948). He also published three books outside his field: Camels to California (1950), Three Caravans to Yuma (1980), and Behold the Flaming Sword (1983).

Chronology of Employment

• 1910: Built man-carrying kites of Cody/Hargrave type.
• 1917: Signal Corps; Aeronautical Engineer Production.
• 1919 - 1920 : McCook Field, Dayton, OH. Engineering Division; Assistant Engineer in charge of design.
• 1921: Mather Field, Sacramento, CA; Assistant Engineer; Aerial Forest Fire Patrol.
• 1922 - 1925 : G. Elias & Bros., Buffalo, N.Y.; Aeromarine Plane and Motor Co.; Naval Aircraft Factory.
• 1925 - 1927 : Pitcairn Aviation Co., Philadelphia, PA.
• 1927: U.S. Army Air Corps; Engineer.
• 1928: Miller Corp., New Brunswick, NJ; Chief Aeronautical Engineer.
• 1929 - 1936 : Glenn L. Martin Co., Baltimore, MD; Staff Engineer.
• 1943: Fowler Aircraft Co., San Diego, CA.
• 1946: Independent Consulting Aeronautical Engineer. Whittier, CA.
• 1951: McCook Field, Dayton, OH; Engineering Division.
• 1956 - 1957 : Independent Consulting Aeronautical Engineer. Longmont, CO.
• 1962 - 1974 : Independent Aeronautical Consultant. Burlingame, CA.
• 1975 - 1982 : Retired. Solvang, CA.

From the guide to the Harlan D. Fowler Papers, 1920-1980, (San José State University. Library.)