The Birth of Pressurized Flight

Air Force Research Laboratory
Story by Michael Weber

Date: 09.03.2024
Posted: 09.03.2024 16:50
News ID: 480002
The Birth of Pressurized Flight-4XC-35-on-tarmac

Two structural engineers at the Army Air Corps Engineering Division at Wright Field (an Aerospace Systems Directorate precursor), Major Carl Greene and John Younger, were responsible for the birth of the pressurized cabin. The men and their team modified a Lockheed Model 10 Electra, the same model that Amelia Earhart used to attempt her round-the-world flight. The aircraft was fitted with a circular cross-section fuselage that could withstand up to 10 psi of atmospheric pressure. Small, thick windows were installed that wouldn’t blow out with high-pressure differentials, along with two turbo-supercharged Pratt & Whitney engines. The cabin pressurization system created by Major Green and John Younger paved the way for the system that airliners still use today.