Spouse: Lillian Anne Schroeder
Children: Leonard R., Ann
Father Name: John Schroeder
Father Born: Bloomington, Illinois
Mother Name: Anna Schroeder
Mother Born: Ireland
Siblings: Henry
Obituaries: Tonawanda News (NY); Chicago Tribune
He served in the U.S. [Army] Air Service. As Major Schroeder he set altitude records and was heavily involved with the Engineering Department of the Air Service.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army Aviation Section of the Signal Corps in 1916. He had been flying since 1909. He served at Chanute and Ellington Fields before being stationed at McCook Airfield where he earned his notoriety.
- August 25-26, 1919 he flew in The Great New York - Toronto Air Race. He won the military handicap race.
- September 18, 1919 he set a world record altitude record of 28,899 feet
- October 4, 1919 he set a world record altitude record of 31,569 feet in a Lusac-11 biplane.
- February 17, 1920 he set a world record altitude record of 33,114 feet in a LePere biplane. On this flight he lost consciousness because of an oxygen bottle malfunction, the aircraft plummeted five miles, he regained consciousness, and he was barely able to land the plane.
After his military career he worked for Aviation Engineer Underwriters Laboratories. He later worked for Ford on the development of early Ford airplanes. In November 1925, at the end of the first 3-AT test flight, Schroeder said, "My advice is to forget this plane." He also performed the first test flight of the 4-AT-1 (Tri-motor) on June 11, 1926. The plane was designed, built, and flown in less than five months (a fire had destroyed Ford-Stout factory in January 1926).
In the late 1920s he left Ford and became the construction supervisor for Curtis Field in what is now Glenview, Illinois. He stayed on after construction was complete as a supervisor for the airfield and the flying school.
He was later a Vice President for United Air Lines in charge of safety.
He suffered a stroke in 1941 from which he never fully recovered, but he was able to continue to work from home.
On July 14, 1945 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his high altitude experiments. These experiments were the basis for what allowed the high flying aircraft of WWII.
He was known as "Shorty" despite the fact he was 6 feet 4 inches tall.
Other accomplishments: He was the first person to develop electric landing lights as well as ground lights; worked to develop the first wearable parachute for aviators; had a patent for the controllable pitch propeller; foresaw the need for high-octane fuels for aircraft; used turbo-superchargers to improve air quality to keep engines operational at extremely high altitudes; had the first operational freight carrying airline; insisted that every operational control have a back-up, which is standard practice in the aviation industry today; developed safety procedures (contingency plans) for all possible equipment circumstances/failures to mitigate unexpected events (another aviation standard today).
Children: Leonard R., Ann
Father Name: John Schroeder
Father Born: Bloomington, Illinois
Mother Name: Anna Schroeder
Mother Born: Ireland
Siblings: Henry
Obituaries: Tonawanda News (NY); Chicago Tribune
He served in the U.S. [Army] Air Service. As Major Schroeder he set altitude records and was heavily involved with the Engineering Department of the Air Service.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army Aviation Section of the Signal Corps in 1916. He had been flying since 1909. He served at Chanute and Ellington Fields before being stationed at McCook Airfield where he earned his notoriety.
- August 25-26, 1919 he flew in The Great New York - Toronto Air Race. He won the military handicap race.
- September 18, 1919 he set a world record altitude record of 28,899 feet
- October 4, 1919 he set a world record altitude record of 31,569 feet in a Lusac-11 biplane.
- February 17, 1920 he set a world record altitude record of 33,114 feet in a LePere biplane. On this flight he lost consciousness because of an oxygen bottle malfunction, the aircraft plummeted five miles, he regained consciousness, and he was barely able to land the plane.
After his military career he worked for Aviation Engineer Underwriters Laboratories. He later worked for Ford on the development of early Ford airplanes. In November 1925, at the end of the first 3-AT test flight, Schroeder said, "My advice is to forget this plane." He also performed the first test flight of the 4-AT-1 (Tri-motor) on June 11, 1926. The plane was designed, built, and flown in less than five months (a fire had destroyed Ford-Stout factory in January 1926).
In the late 1920s he left Ford and became the construction supervisor for Curtis Field in what is now Glenview, Illinois. He stayed on after construction was complete as a supervisor for the airfield and the flying school.
He was later a Vice President for United Air Lines in charge of safety.
He suffered a stroke in 1941 from which he never fully recovered, but he was able to continue to work from home.
On July 14, 1945 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his high altitude experiments. These experiments were the basis for what allowed the high flying aircraft of WWII.
He was known as "Shorty" despite the fact he was 6 feet 4 inches tall.
Other accomplishments: He was the first person to develop electric landing lights as well as ground lights; worked to develop the first wearable parachute for aviators; had a patent for the controllable pitch propeller; foresaw the need for high-octane fuels for aircraft; used turbo-superchargers to improve air quality to keep engines operational at extremely high altitudes; had the first operational freight carrying airline; insisted that every operational control have a back-up, which is standard practice in the aviation industry today; developed safety procedures (contingency plans) for all possible equipment circumstances/failures to mitigate unexpected events (another aviation standard today).
Spouse: Lillian Anne Schroeder
Children: Leonard R., Ann
Father Name: John Schroeder
Father Born: Bloomington, Illinois
Mother Name: Anna Schroeder
Mother Born: Ireland
Siblings: Henry
Obituaries: Tonawanda News (NY); Chicago Tribune
He served in the U.S. [Army] Air Service. As Major Schroeder he set altitude records and was heavily involved with the Engineering Department of the Air Service.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army Aviation Section of the Signal Corps in 1916. He had been flying since 1909. He served at Chanute and Ellington Fields before being stationed at McCook Airfield where he earned his notoriety.
- August 25-26, 1919 he flew in The Great New York - Toronto Air Race. He won the military handicap race.
- September 18, 1919 he set a world record altitude record of 28,899 feet
- October 4, 1919 he set a world record altitude record of 31,569 feet in a Lusac-11 biplane.
- February 17, 1920 he set a world record altitude record of 33,114 feet in a LePere biplane. On this flight he lost consciousness because of an oxygen bottle malfunction, the aircraft plummeted five miles, he regained consciousness, and he was barely able to land the plane.
After his military career he worked for Aviation Engineer Underwriters Laboratories. He later worked for Ford on the development of early Ford airplanes. In November 1925, at the end of the first 3-AT test flight, Schroeder said, "My advice is to forget this plane." He also performed the first test flight of the 4-AT-1 (Tri-motor) on June 11, 1926. The plane was designed, built, and flown in less than five months (a fire had destroyed Ford-Stout factory in January 1926).
In the late 1920s he left Ford and became the construction supervisor for Curtis Field in what is now Glenview, Illinois. He stayed on after construction was complete as a supervisor for the airfield and the flying school.
He was later a Vice President for United Air Lines in charge of safety.
He suffered a stroke in 1941 from which he never fully recovered, but he was able to continue to work from home.
On July 14, 1945 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his high altitude experiments. These experiments were the basis for what allowed the high flying aircraft of WWII.
He was known as "Shorty" despite the fact he was 6 feet 4 inches tall.
Other accomplishments: He was the first person to develop electric landing lights as well as ground lights; worked to develop the first wearable parachute for aviators; had a patent for the controllable pitch propeller; foresaw the need for high-octane fuels for aircraft; used turbo-superchargers to improve air quality to keep engines operational at extremely high altitudes; had the first operational freight carrying airline; insisted that every operational control have a back-up, which is standard practice in the aviation industry today; developed safety procedures (contingency plans) for all possible equipment circumstances/failures to mitigate unexpected events (another aviation standard today).
Children: Leonard R., Ann
Father Name: John Schroeder
Father Born: Bloomington, Illinois
Mother Name: Anna Schroeder
Mother Born: Ireland
Siblings: Henry
Obituaries: Tonawanda News (NY); Chicago Tribune
He served in the U.S. [Army] Air Service. As Major Schroeder he set altitude records and was heavily involved with the Engineering Department of the Air Service.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army Aviation Section of the Signal Corps in 1916. He had been flying since 1909. He served at Chanute and Ellington Fields before being stationed at McCook Airfield where he earned his notoriety.
- August 25-26, 1919 he flew in The Great New York - Toronto Air Race. He won the military handicap race.
- September 18, 1919 he set a world record altitude record of 28,899 feet
- October 4, 1919 he set a world record altitude record of 31,569 feet in a Lusac-11 biplane.
- February 17, 1920 he set a world record altitude record of 33,114 feet in a LePere biplane. On this flight he lost consciousness because of an oxygen bottle malfunction, the aircraft plummeted five miles, he regained consciousness, and he was barely able to land the plane.
After his military career he worked for Aviation Engineer Underwriters Laboratories. He later worked for Ford on the development of early Ford airplanes. In November 1925, at the end of the first 3-AT test flight, Schroeder said, "My advice is to forget this plane." He also performed the first test flight of the 4-AT-1 (Tri-motor) on June 11, 1926. The plane was designed, built, and flown in less than five months (a fire had destroyed Ford-Stout factory in January 1926).
In the late 1920s he left Ford and became the construction supervisor for Curtis Field in what is now Glenview, Illinois. He stayed on after construction was complete as a supervisor for the airfield and the flying school.
He was later a Vice President for United Air Lines in charge of safety.
He suffered a stroke in 1941 from which he never fully recovered, but he was able to continue to work from home.
On July 14, 1945 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his high altitude experiments. These experiments were the basis for what allowed the high flying aircraft of WWII.
He was known as "Shorty" despite the fact he was 6 feet 4 inches tall.
Other accomplishments: He was the first person to develop electric landing lights as well as ground lights; worked to develop the first wearable parachute for aviators; had a patent for the controllable pitch propeller; foresaw the need for high-octane fuels for aircraft; used turbo-superchargers to improve air quality to keep engines operational at extremely high altitudes; had the first operational freight carrying airline; insisted that every operational control have a back-up, which is standard practice in the aviation industry today; developed safety procedures (contingency plans) for all possible equipment circumstances/failures to mitigate unexpected events (another aviation standard today).
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