Captain Ralph S. Johnson was an airline industry pioneer. His interest in aviation was accidental. He grew up tinkering with cars and farming machinery.
In 1930, Johnson graduated from Purdue University with a degree in mechanical engineering and should have had a career in automobile design. But on a dare, he decided to try to pass the Army Air Corps physical. Before long the Army ordered him to report to an airfield in California for training. It was the beginning of his long career as an aviator.
Johnson followed up his stint in the military with work as a private pilot until he was hired by National Air Transport flying between Chicago, Illinois and Newark, New Jersey. National Air Transport eventually became United Airlines, where Johnson distinguished himself as a test pilot. Ever the engineer, Johnson came up with a propeller de-icing system. He also developed the “stabilized approach” landing technique which standardized how pilots make their descents.
Learn more about aviator Ralph S. Johnson by reading the W. Dillard “Pic” Walker papers at UW’s American Heritage Center.