Hegenberger, Robert F.

Albert Hegenberger was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1895, later attended MIT, and then joined the Signal Corps in 1917. He served as a flight instructor during World War I, was subsequently assigned to McCook Field in Dayton, Ohio, and then began researching flight and navigation instrument development. In 1927, Lieutenant Hegenberger and Lieutenant Lester Maitland were the first to fly 2,400 miles from California to Hawaii, the longest open sea flight. For their achievement, President Coolidge awarded both men the Distinguished Flying Cross. Captain Hegenberger went on to develop a blind instrument landing system and in 1932 made the world's first solo instrument-only flight. His system was later adopted for both military and civilian use and became standard equipment in most planes. Hegenberger continued his military career and was promoted to Brigadier General in 1943. He retired from the military in 1949 but continued to be involved with aviation matters. He received the Pioneer Award in Aeronautical and Navigational Electronics in 1958 and was enshrined in the Aviation Hall of Fame, Dayton, Ohio, in 1976. General Hegenberger died in Florida in 1983.