death_place death_date birth_place nationality field work_institutions birth_date article_title name alma_mater
newport news , virginia 21 february 2011 lansford , pennsylvania american aeronautical engineering langley memorial aeronautical laboratory , naca 8 may 1921 john m. riebe
 john michael riebe rensselaer polytechnic institute
john m. riebe

john michael riebe -lrb- 8 may 1921 -- 21 february 2011 -rrb- was an american aeronautical engineer and inventor who contributed to the early designs of flight surfaces .
other significant contributions included being project engineer in the development of the grumman f8f fighter , involvement with short takeoff and landing projects for airline terminals , and work on control systems for rockets , flying boats , delta wings and powered lift systems .
he performed tests in the numerous wind tunnels of the national advisory committee for aeronautics ' langley memorial aeronautical laboratory in langley field , virginia -lrb- now nasa 's langley research center in langley air force base , virginia -rrb- , where he was employed .
many of the tests he performed , as well as the resulting data and reports , were classified at the time because they were wartime reports , but have been since unclassified and available to the general public .
