Ward Van Orman
Encyclopedia
Ward Tunte Van Orman was an American
engineer, inventor and balloonist
. A lifelong employee of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
credited with invention of Goodyear's inflatable life raft and self-sealing fuel tank
, Van Orman set an unrecedented record of winning five annual National Balloon Races (including the first ever Litchfield Trophy issued by Goodyear's Paul Litchfield in 1925), participating in ten and winning three International Gordon Bennett Races
(1926, 1929, 1930).
, Ward Van Orman was inclined to science and mechanics since childhood. At school he managed to save enough cash to enroll in Case School of Applied Science
. In 1917 he graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA
and joined the staff of Goodyear in Akron, Ohio
; in 1918 he qualified for a balloon and airship
pilot's license
. His first invention, a leakproof cover for gasoline
tanks, was filed in 1921 and patented in 1928; eventually, he developed reliable self-sealing fuel tank
s. Later in life, Van Orman (who preferred to be called simply "Van") considered his inventions, and not the record flights, his greatest accomplishments.
During the 1925 International Race Van Orman performed world's first emergency night landing of a balloon on a deck of a steamship at high seas. The race took off June 9, 1925 at Brussels
; at first the Goodyear III balloon floated over France
towards Spain
but then a change in wind dragged it into Atlantic Ocean
. Van Orman's partner, Carl Wollam, desperate about inevitable death by drowning, intoxicated himself with cognac
and attempted suicide at least twice. As Van Orman struggled to restrain Wollam from jumping overboard, he noticed navigation light
s of a ship that turned out to be a small German freighter, Vaterland. Van Orman flashed morse code
message to the captain, who assisted the landing by turning on all available lighting and steering the ship towards the descending balloon. The balloon safely landed on Vaterlands forward deck. Van Orman and captain Rudolf Norman remained friends for life. This flight was the longest in 1925 International Race, but Van Orman was disqualified and denied the Gordon Bennett Trophy
according to the race rules requiring landing literally on land. Fifty years after this event, Van Orman was still bitterly hurt by the disqualification: "the memory of that unfair decision never has grown dim".
Van Orman picked a new partner, Walter Morton, and easily won the 1926 National Race, qualifying for this year's International Race. He won the 1926 Gordon Bennett Trophy flying from Antwerp to Solvesborg
in Sweden
. The win automatically qualified them to the next year's International Race, where Orman and Morton came third.
The National Race of 1928, held on May 30 in Pittsburgh, turned out a disaster. Lightning
strikes downed three aircraft, including Van Orman's. A direct thunderbolt killed Morton instantly and ignited hydrogen
in the gas bag. The balloon's basket fell from three thousand feet, supported by a "parachute
" of what remained of its gas bag. Van Orman, unconscious in his basket, survived the impact without serious injuries.
Van Orman survived other, less inspiring incidents: once he was assaulted by an unidentified man, allegedly hired by one of Van Orman's competitors; on another occasion during prohibition
period he landed a balloon in the middle of an illegal distillery
operation, and was confronted by bootleg
gers wielding shotgun
s who mistook him for a federal agent
. During the 1933 National Race Van Orman's balloon flew deep into Canadian
forests. He and his partners wandered through the wilderness, starving; back at home they were already considered dead. Finally, they reached a telephone line running through the forest; they chopped down a pole, severing the line, expecting that a repair crew will eventually locate them. After this incident Van Orman, a single parent (his first wife died in 1932), quit balloon racing forever.
After retiring from active ballooning sport Van Orman served as a researcher with Goodyear until 1962. His works ranged from fuel tanks to developing waterproof fabrics for diving suit
s and airtight zipper
s for pressure suits. In retirement Van Orman, a shriner, travelled across the country as a motivational speaker
, periodically flying hot air balloon
s until the final year or two of his life. He died of a stroke
in 1978 and was buried at Rose Hill cemetery in Akron, Ohio
.
Van Orman authored an autobiography, The wizard of the winds (ISBN 0878390324), published posthumously in 1978.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
engineer, inventor and balloonist
Balloon (aircraft)
A balloon is a type of aircraft that remains aloft due to its buoyancy. A balloon travels by moving with the wind. It is distinct from an airship, which is a buoyant aircraft that can be propelled through the air in a controlled manner....
. A lifelong employee of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery....
credited with invention of Goodyear's inflatable life raft and self-sealing fuel tank
Self-sealing fuel tank
In aviation, self-sealing fuel tank is a fuel tank technology in wide use since World War II that prevents fuel tanks primarily on aircraft from leaking fuel and igniting after being damaged by enemy fire....
, Van Orman set an unrecedented record of winning five annual National Balloon Races (including the first ever Litchfield Trophy issued by Goodyear's Paul Litchfield in 1925), participating in ten and winning three International Gordon Bennett Races
Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning
The Gordon Bennett Cup is the world's oldest gas balloon race, and is "regarded as the premier event of world balloon racing" according to the Los Angeles Times. Referred to as the "Blue Ribbon" of aeronautics, the first race started from Paris, France, on September 30, 1906...
(1926, 1929, 1930).
Biography
Born in Lorain, OhioLorain, Ohio
Lorain is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Black River, about 30 miles west of Cleveland....
, Ward Van Orman was inclined to science and mechanics since childhood. At school he managed to save enough cash to enroll in Case School of Applied Science
Case School of Engineering
The Case School of Engineering is the engineering school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. It traces its roots to the 1880 founding of the Case School of Applied Science. The school became the Case Institute of Technology in 1947 until merging with Western Reserve University in...
. In 1917 he graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA
Academic grading in North America
Academic grading in North America varies from country to country and even within countries.-United States:The most commonly used index in the U.S. educational system uses five letter grades. Historically, the grades were A, B, C, D, and F—A being the highest and F, denoting failure, the lowest...
and joined the staff of Goodyear in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
; in 1918 he qualified for a balloon and airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
pilot's license
Pilot licensing and certification
Pilot licensing or certification refers to permits to fly aircraft that are issued by the National Aviation Authority in each country, establishing that the holder has met a specific set of knowledge and experience requirements. This includes taking a flying test. The certified pilot can then...
. His first invention, a leakproof cover for gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
tanks, was filed in 1921 and patented in 1928; eventually, he developed reliable self-sealing fuel tank
Self-sealing fuel tank
In aviation, self-sealing fuel tank is a fuel tank technology in wide use since World War II that prevents fuel tanks primarily on aircraft from leaking fuel and igniting after being damaged by enemy fire....
s. Later in life, Van Orman (who preferred to be called simply "Van") considered his inventions, and not the record flights, his greatest accomplishments.
During the 1925 International Race Van Orman performed world's first emergency night landing of a balloon on a deck of a steamship at high seas. The race took off June 9, 1925 at Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
; at first the Goodyear III balloon floated over France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
towards Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
but then a change in wind dragged it into Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Van Orman's partner, Carl Wollam, desperate about inevitable death by drowning, intoxicated himself with cognac
Cognac (drink)
Cognac , named after the town of Cognac in France, is a variety of brandy. It is produced in the wine-growing region surrounding the town from which it takes its name, in the French Departements of Charente and Charente-Maritime....
and attempted suicide at least twice. As Van Orman struggled to restrain Wollam from jumping overboard, he noticed navigation light
Navigation light
A navigation light is a colored source of illumination on an aircraft, spacecraft, or waterborne vessel, used to signal a craft's position, heading, and status...
s of a ship that turned out to be a small German freighter, Vaterland. Van Orman flashed morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
message to the captain, who assisted the landing by turning on all available lighting and steering the ship towards the descending balloon. The balloon safely landed on Vaterlands forward deck. Van Orman and captain Rudolf Norman remained friends for life. This flight was the longest in 1925 International Race, but Van Orman was disqualified and denied the Gordon Bennett Trophy
Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning
The Gordon Bennett Cup is the world's oldest gas balloon race, and is "regarded as the premier event of world balloon racing" according to the Los Angeles Times. Referred to as the "Blue Ribbon" of aeronautics, the first race started from Paris, France, on September 30, 1906...
according to the race rules requiring landing literally on land. Fifty years after this event, Van Orman was still bitterly hurt by the disqualification: "the memory of that unfair decision never has grown dim".
Sölvesborg
Sölvesborg is a locality and the seat of Sölvesborg Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 7,883 inhabitants in 2005.Sölvesborg is, despite its small population, for historical reasons normally still referred to as a city...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The win automatically qualified them to the next year's International Race, where Orman and Morton came third.
The National Race of 1928, held on May 30 in Pittsburgh, turned out a disaster. Lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
strikes downed three aircraft, including Van Orman's. A direct thunderbolt killed Morton instantly and ignited hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
in the gas bag. The balloon's basket fell from three thousand feet, supported by a "parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
" of what remained of its gas bag. Van Orman, unconscious in his basket, survived the impact without serious injuries.
I was looking directly at the flash... hardly thicker than my finger ... it passed within two feet of my eyes. I had time after the flash to look up over the edge of the 'rain dodger' we had spread across the top of the basket and note that the bottom of the bag apparently was still intact. Probably it was two or three seconds after the flash before the concussion knocked me unconscious. How high we were, I don't know.
When I came to, my head was lying outside the basket, with rain falling on my head. I felt Mortom beside me...
Van Orman, 1928
Van Orman survived other, less inspiring incidents: once he was assaulted by an unidentified man, allegedly hired by one of Van Orman's competitors; on another occasion during prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
period he landed a balloon in the middle of an illegal distillery
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
operation, and was confronted by bootleg
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
gers wielding shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
s who mistook him for a federal agent
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
. During the 1933 National Race Van Orman's balloon flew deep into Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
forests. He and his partners wandered through the wilderness, starving; back at home they were already considered dead. Finally, they reached a telephone line running through the forest; they chopped down a pole, severing the line, expecting that a repair crew will eventually locate them. After this incident Van Orman, a single parent (his first wife died in 1932), quit balloon racing forever.
After retiring from active ballooning sport Van Orman served as a researcher with Goodyear until 1962. His works ranged from fuel tanks to developing waterproof fabrics for diving suit
Diving suit
A diving suit is a garment or device designed to protect a diver from the underwater environment. A diving suit typically also incorporates an air-supply .-History:...
s and airtight zipper
Zipper
A zipper is a commonly used device for temporarily joining two edges of fabric...
s for pressure suits. In retirement Van Orman, a shriner, travelled across the country as a motivational speaker
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
, periodically flying hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
s until the final year or two of his life. He died of a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in 1978 and was buried at Rose Hill cemetery in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
.
Van Orman authored an autobiography, The wizard of the winds (ISBN 0878390324), published posthumously in 1978.