OPPOSITE LEFT: Charles Lindbergh works on the Wright Whirlwind J5, 220 hp, 9-cylinder engine which powered his plane, the “Sprit of St. Louis” from New York to Paris, completing the first solo trans-Atlantic flight in May 1927. Lindbergh was relatively unknown at the time, except among barnstormers and the original Air Mail pilots. The investigations into the deaths of Air Mail pilots due to fires following a crash were led by Jerome Lederer who determined that relocating the fuel tank farther from the exhaust manifold would reduce the chance of ignition. It was during this time that Lederer met Lindbergh, which led to their continued friendship. Photo: Cradle of Aviation Museum, LI, New York.
OPPOSITE RIGHT: Jerome “Jerry” Fox Lederer (1902-2004) contributed for decades to flight safety both in aviation and space. At the end of his long life, he lived in sunny California where he enjoyed recognition from those who came aſter him to form aviation maintenance and safety organizations. Former NTSB board member and aviation safety expert, John Goglia recalls meeting Lederer for the first time at a conference in Alaska sometime in the mid-1990s. “I knew who he was,” says Goglia, “but I was pleased to know he recognized me aſter reading on of my articles on aviation safety.” Thereaſter their professional connection led to invitations for Goglia to visit Lederer at home. Although Lederer was advanced in age, Goglia remembers him to be sharp and shared many memories including those about Lindbergh. “On one visit, Jerry handed me a framed piece of the original Wright flyer which he had received from Orville Wright. I’ll never forget holding that piece of aviation history.” In a 2002 interview Lederer explained that he got to know Orville Wright very well on their annual boat trips from Washington, DC to Langley, VA for meetings held by the (then) Institute of Aeronautical Sciences. Photo: Photo published by the National Academies Press “Memorial Tributes Vol. 11,” 2007.
second international air meet “filled with members of New York’s Four Hundred, who regarded the meet as the social and sporting event of the year.” Featured among the international aviators were America’s heroes, Glenn Curtiss and John Moisant; Claude Graham-White from England; Canadian, J.A.D. McCurdy; and Frenchman, Alfred LeBlanc. As impressed as he was with flying, it does not appear that Lederer’s interest in aviation led him to join the fledgling US Signal Corp during WWI. Instead, young “Jerry” attended New York University to earn his Bachelors and Masters Degree in their inaugural programs for aeronautical engineering. While there he contributed to the construction of NYU’s 40-mph wind tunnel. His first government job was for the US Air Mail Service between 1926 and 1927. Air Mail pilot fatalities were high - many as a result of fire exploding upon crash impact. Lederer determined the cause to be the proximity of the fuel tank to the exhaust manifold and published his first flight safety bulletin recommending structural changes to avert combustion. It was during these months that Lederer met Lindbergh, and ultimately led to their continued communication. In 1927, the US government required licensing of pilots and mechanics, which necessitated interpretation of new standards for aircraft manufacturers as well. Lederer became an independent engineering contractor between 1929 and 1940, prolifically publishing bulletins and organizing educational programs to reduce losses through safety audits and other procedures. Between 1941 and 1942, as Director of the Civil Aeronautics Board Safety Bureau, Lederer created the basis of the legacy for which he is known. In Bushnell’s tribute he noted that Lederer “developed the accident investigation procedures that are still followed
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