Chapter 5: North american aviation

The end of World War II had precipitated a bust to the aviation industry boom years of 24/7 factory aircraft assembly lines. Industry executives realized they would have to re-invent their companies to survive. Companies like North American Aviation (NAA), which had thrived on the wartime demand for bombers, fighters, and trainers, were suddenly faced with the challenge of peacetime adaptation. Southern California, a hub for aircraft manufacturing during the war, now teetered on the edge of economic uncertainty as thousands of skilled workers and engineers wondered what the future held.

For many aerospace firms, survival hinged on diversification and innovation. Some transitioned to civilian markets, producing commercial aircraft or leveraging their expertise in other industries. Others sought opportunities in the nascent fields of guided missiles, jet propulsion, and experimental technologies. North American Aviation distinguished itself during this period by taking bold steps into uncharted territories of aerospace science and engineering.

Dutch Kindleberger and Lee Atwood at North American understood that this new industry to become known as “aerospace” would be founded on technologies that World War II had either jump-started or promoted to a new level e. g., radar, propulsion, materials science, inertial guidance, and automatic control systems based upon servomechanisms. Application to their business of the war-time advances would require re-training their workforce and college hires, most of whose textbooks bore pre-war publication dates. 

With this lofty goal, they established its Aerophysics Laboratory to spearhead advancements in aerodynamics, propulsion systems, and materials science. This far-sighted act set NAA apart from competitors, as it not only maintained a foothold in the shifting defense industry but also positioned itself as a pioneer in the exploration of supersonic and even spaceflight capabilities. By investing in theoretical research and experimental projects, NAA attracted top scientific talent and forged a path toward groundbreaking achievements that would define