Don R . Berlin Donovan Reese Berlin ( June 13 , 1898 – May 17 , 1982 ) was an American military aircraft designer and aircraft industry executive . Among the many designs with which he is associated , are the Curtiss P - 36 Hawk , Curtiss P - 40 Warhawk and Fisher P - 75 Eagle . His name is " synonymous with the development of military aviation " . He designed aircraft that were safe , rugged and " a pilot ' s joy . " Early years . Berlin was born in Romona , Indiana and in his formative years , lived in Brook , Indiana . He attended Purdue University , graduating in 1921 with a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering . Aviation career . With his introduction to aeronautics in conducting early wind tunnel tests for the U . S . Army Air Corps at McCook Field , Dayton , Ohio , subsequently , starting in 1926 , Berlin worked for Douglas Aircraft Company as project engineer and chief draftsman . In 1929 , he left Douglas to work at Northrop Corporation where he was assigned to the Northrop Alpha , Gamma and Delta development . In a controversial move , Berlin was released when he and founder Jack Northrop were in disagreement over the wing design of a new fighter . Berlin was quickly hired at Curtiss - Wright in 1934 , beginning a long career with the company . Curtiss - Wright President Ralph Damon hired Berlin , impressed with his experience working with metal construction at Northrop , a key factor in his rapid promotion to Chief Engineer . Berlin ' s first assignment was as project engineer on the company ' s new fighter aircraft design , bearing the nomenclature , design number 75 . After first competing and losing to the Seversky P - 35 in a fighter competition , Berlin persevered and his reconfigured design , initially known as the Y1P - 36 , and later , P - 36 Hawk , won the U . S . Army Air Corps fighter competition in 1937 . Consequently , the USAAC ordered 210 P - 36A aircraft to serve as a front line fighter . In 1938 and 1939 , the P - 36 was one of the premiere fighters of the period . World War II . With foreign orders , P - 36 Hawk production exceeded 1 , 000 aircraft . The Hawk was used more extensively by the French Air Force , both during the Battle of France and by the Vichy French ; and was used against French forces in the Franco - Thai War ( October 1940 – May 9 , 1941 ) . It was also used by the British Commonwealth ( where it was known as the " Mohawk " ) , and by Chinese air units . Several dozen also fought in the Finnish Air Force against the Soviet Air Force s . Berlin continued to develop the P - 36 , mating it with a more powerful water - cooled Allison V - 12 engine , moving the cockpit aft , changing the location of the air scoop and making other modifications . The revised design evolved into the experimental models : XP - 37 / YP - 37 and XP - 42 , before ultimately , into the XP - 40 . The XP - 40 won the fighter competition in 1939 held by the U . S . Army Air Corps . Produced as the P - 40 Warhawk , over 13 , 000 were eventually built , in a wide - ranging series of P - 40 variants . In similar fashion to the success of the earlier P - 36 , the P - 40 was adopted by many foreign air arms , including the Royal Air Force where early models were known as the " Tomahawk " , and later series , " Kittyhawk " . One hundred and forty - five pilots became ace s in the P - 40 . Two years of research data gathered by Berlin in developing his XP - 46 advanced fighter design including wind tunnel , cooling and performance tests , were sold with his permission to North American Aviation who used the data in the development of their P - 51 Mustang fighter . During World War II , Berlin was Chief Engineer and the head of design at Curtiss - Wright . A number of experimental programs were begun during this period , including the revolutionary Curtiss - Wright XP - 55 Ascender that never achieved production status , as well as the Curtiss SO3C Seamew , a floatplane that was adopted by the U . S . Navy , but had a troubled operational history . Although designed by George A . Page Jr . , Berlin oversaw the design of the Curtiss C - 46 Commando , the company ' s foray into civil and military transport markets . He also supervised the development of the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver , designed by Raymond C . Blaylock , the company ' s last major production aircraft series . Frustrated with a lack of official backing for a new development of the P - 40 , Berlin left Curtiss - Wright in December 1941 , and , at the request of the federal government , in 1942 , he became Director of the Aircraft Development Section of the Fisher Body Division of the General Motors Corporation in Detroit . While at G . M . , he designed the unsuccessful Fisher P - 75 Eagle , first as an interceptor , later escort fighter , made up of components from a number of production aircraft . Although the concept was intriguing , in merging engineering and production elements , one of the main considerations was that " Berlin ' s reputation was such that any proposal from him had to be given serious consideration . " In 1945 , Berlin was named director of G . M . ' s installation engineering section in Indianapolis . Postwar . Berlin left General Motors in 1947 to join the McDonnell Aircraft Company in St . Louis as executive vice president , directing the design of several McDonnell jet fighters and the ramjet engines for helicopter rotors . During his tenure , he oversaw a number of significant projects , including the McDonnell F3H Demon for the U . S . Navy , along with the XF - 85 Goblin " parasite " fighter and XF - 88 Voodoo " penetration " fighter for the U . S . Air Force . In 1953 , Berlin was named president and director of Piasecki Helicopter in Morton , Pennsylvania . His time at the company was contentious , as he removed the founder and chairman of the board Frank Piasecki during a period ending in May 1956 that some called the " Berlin Hairlift " . Berlin ' s takeover involved " cleaning house " in what industry observers characterized as a " family dispute " . Berlin had the backing of the majority owners of Piasecki , including Laurence Rockefeller who felt that Frank Piasecki was lacking in business acumen . Piasecki Helicopter was renamed Vertol Helicopter in early 1956 . During his time at Vertol , Berlin ' s involvement with engineering led to the rescue of a floundering program , the Piasecki H - 21 , that eventually allowed the company to prosper . His continuing support of new rotorcraft designs for commercial and military markets , was validated when the Vertol Model 107 won a U . S . Army design competition in September 1958 . The Model 107 , later named the Boeing CH - 47 Chinook , became the Army ' s standard medium assault transport helicopter . By the end of the 1950s , Vertol was the largest independent manufacturer of helicopters in the United States . Berlin became vice - chairman and general manager of Boeing - Vertol when it became a division of the Boeing Company in 1960 . Berlin returned to Curtiss - Wright in 1963 as a vice president of the corporate staff in Wood - Ridge , New Jersey , before joining W . Pat Crow Forgings as vice - president and general manager in Fort Worth , Texas . He ended his aviation career at E . F . Felt Company , an aviation components manufacturing company in San Leandro , California , shortly before his retirement to his home in Glen Mills , Pennsylvania . After a long illness , Berlin died in 1982 , at age 83 . Awards and honors . Berlin was awarded an honorary doctorate by Purdue University in 1953 . In 1956 , he was awarded the " Captain William J . Kossler , USCG Award " , given for the greatest achievement in the practical application or operation of a vertical flight aircraft . On May 17 , 2013 , Berlin was inducted into the Niagara Frontier Aviation & Space Hall of Fame . The Claire Lee Chennault Foundation of the Flying Tigers made Berlin an honorary member , recognizing his contribution in the design and excellent performance of the P - 40 , their primary aircraft .