Honoree – Robert Stanley

Robert M Stanley

Honored 1973

Robert Stanley was born August 19, 1912 in El Reno, Oklahoma. When he was 19 years old, he joined the Douglas Aircraft Company and participated in the creation of the DC-1, DC-2 and DC-3 aircraft. While working part-time at Douglas, he attended the California Institute of Technology, receiving a degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1935.

He became a Naval Aviator in 1936. As a Navy pilot, he participated in the search for Amelia Earhart. During his naval service he designed a guided missile which later became “Project Kingfisher”. He also designed an advanced sailplane named the Nomad with a V-tail. On July 3, 1939 Stanley flew the Nomad to a new American altitude record at 16,400 ft, more than doubling the old record. The next day, Stanley broke the record again climbing to 17,284 ft.

In June, 1940, he became chief test pilot and head of flight research for the Bell Aircraft Corporation. On October 1st, 1942, Stanley became the first American to fly a jet-propelled aircraft – the Bell XP-59A. Stanley became Chief Engineer and Vice President of Engineering for Bell, and was responsible for many firsts, including the design, manufacture and testing of the world’s first supersonic plane, the Bell X-1.

In 1948, Bob Stanley organized Stanley Aviation Corporation. Located in Aurora, Colorado near Stapleton Airport, the enterprise became a leader in the production of escape and survival systems for high-speed military fighters and bombers. The Stanley production facility eventually expanded to 140,000 square feet and produced upward ejections seats for the B-47, FJ Fury, F-106, F-4 Phantom II, P6M Sea Master, and downward ejection seats for the B-47, B-52, RB-66, and F-104.  The company also designed and built a unique escape capsule for the supersonic B-58 bomber.

Robert M Stanley became a laureate of the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame in 1973. He was selected to the Soaring Hall of Fame in 1977, National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1990, and was an Honorary Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.