Ervin Ross Heald

Ervin Ross Heald, an acclaimed aeronautical engineer whose aircraft designs have served America in war and peace, died January 11 at his home in Stafford, VA, following a brief bout with cancer. He was 99.

Mr. Heald, a longtime resident of Rossmoor, CA, was born and raised in Sultan, WA. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1940 with a degree in aeronautical engineering and soon went to work for the Douglas Aircraft Company in Southern California. His career with Douglas and its successor firms, McDonnell Douglas Corporation and the Boeing Company, spanned more than 50 years.

Mr. Heald joined Douglas as a then-neutral America was arming itself in anticipation of possible involvement in World War II. One of his first assignments was to help correct a serious design flaw that had grounded Douglas’ new Navy dive bomber, the SBD-3 Dauntless. In June 1942, Navy fliers piloting the successfully reconfigured Dauntless sank four Japanese Aircraft carriers during the Battle of Midway, a major turning point in World War II’s Pacific Campaign.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Heald worked on a wide variety of aircraft design projects, including the Aero Commander, a small general aviation airplane that was selected as the personal aircraft for then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the A-4D, a Navy fighter jet that saw extensive action in the Vietnam War. Sen. John McCain of Arizona was piloting an A-4D when he was shot down and taken prisoner by the North Vietnamese.

Mr. Heald believed that his greatest accomplishment was as Chief Design Engineer of the Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport plane, which is currently in use worldwide. In addition to its primary mission as a military troop and cargo transport, the C-17 is also used for medical evacuations and other humanitarian efforts. In 1994, the C-17 received the National Aeronautic Association’s prestigious Collier Trophy as “the most versatile airlift aircraft in aviation history.”

Mr. Heald is survived by his wife Bonnie, son Lawrence, daughters Jacqueline Ramacciotti and Kristen McCarthy, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A service celebrating his life will be held on Feb. 20 at 1 pm at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA.