Eugene (Gene) Whigham 1922-2005

Eugene (Gene) Whigham was a flight test engineer for Convair in San Diego for many years. Aircraft for which he had responsibility include the Sea Dart, the Guppy, and several production commercial transports. During his life he designed, built, and flew seven sailplanes. Gene’s first design, the Whigham GW-1, flew in 1959 and had a max L/D of 29 at 55 mph. Other designs followed with various configurations including one with v-tail and another with flaps. Gene competed in some regional and national competitions and earned his Silver Badge in 1957 and Gold in 1962.