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{{Short description|American chemist, materials engineer and balloonist (1923–2023)}} | ||
| {{Infobox scientist | {{Infobox scientist | ||
| |name = Eleanor Vadala | |name = Eleanor Vadala | ||
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| |caption = Vadala in 1953 | |caption = Vadala in 1953 | ||
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|birth_date = {{Birth date|1923|09|08}} | ||
| |birth_place = ], |
|birth_place = ], U.S. | ||
| |death_date = |
|death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|07|19|1923|09|08}} | ||
| |death_place = | |death_place = ], U.S. | ||
| |residence = | |residence = | ||
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| '''Eleanor Vadala''' ( |
'''Eleanor Vadala''' (September 8, 1923 – July 19, 2023) was an American chemist, ] and ]. She became director of research and development at the ] in Pennsylvania, where she helped to develop light synthetic materials for use in aircraft.<ref name="Chester"/><ref name="Kocher"/><ref name="Spaeth"/> One of her jobs was the testing of fabric in existing balloons to ensure they could be used safely.<ref name="Kocher"/><ref name="Spaeth">{{cite web |last1=Spaeth |first1=Debbie |title=Vadala, Eleanor |date=February 6, 2017 |url=https://hotairballoonist.com/forum/index.php?/topic/2434-vadala-eleanor/ |website=Hot Air Balloonist |access-date=3 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="Nolan">{{cite journal |last1=Vadala |first1=E. Th. |last2=Mayer |first2=Norman J. |editor-last=Nolan |editor-first=George F. |title=Determination of the Airworthiness of ZPG-3W Cotton D-621 and the ZPG-2 Dacron GDC-5 Airship Envelopes |journal=Proceedings, Ninth AFGL Scientific Balloon Symposium, 20 October to 22 October 1976 Air Force Geophysics Laboratories, Air Force Systems Command, United States Air Force |date=1976 |pages=509–540 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MLfl6DOn_XEC |access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref> | ||
| Vadala was the third woman in the United States to be ]-certified as a balloon pilot.<ref name="Kocher"/><ref name="Chester"/> As member of the ], Vadala participated in 66 balloon flights, 47 flights in ]s and 19 flights in ]. Vadala was one of the first female pilots to participate internationally. She was involved in 13 flights hosted by the ] (FAI) between 1959 and 1963.<ref name="Spaeth"/><ref name="Kocher"/> | Vadala was the third woman in the United States to be ]-certified as a balloon pilot.<ref name="Kocher"/><ref name="Chester"/> As member of the ], Vadala participated in 66 balloon flights, 47 flights in ]s and 19 flights in ]. Vadala was one of the first female pilots to participate internationally. She was involved in 13 flights hosted by the ] (FAI) between 1959 and 1963.<ref name="Spaeth"/><ref name="Kocher"/> | ||
| On July 28, 2019, Vadala was inducted into the ], at the ] in ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Hall Of Fame Induction |url=https://www.nationalballoonmuseum.com/events/hall-of-fame-induction/ | |
On July 28, 2019, Vadala was inducted into the ], at the ] in ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Hall Of Fame Induction |url=https://www.nationalballoonmuseum.com/events/hall-of-fame-induction/ |access-date=4 December 2019 |work=Ballooning Hall of Fame |date=July 28, 2019}}</ref> | ||
| ==Education and early career== | ==Education and early career== | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| Eleanor Vadala was born on September 8, 1923, in ].<ref name="Billings"/> She attended school in ] and |
Eleanor Vadala was born on September 8, 1923, in ].<ref name="Billings"/> She attended school in ] and ] in ], and ].<ref name="Billings"/> | ||
| Between 1943 and 1945 Vadala worked at Kellett Aircraft Company, making aircraft parts.<ref name="Chester"/> After ] ended, she returned to university at ] in ].<ref name="Billings"/> She graduated in 1947 with a Bachelor of Science in ] and a minor in ].<ref name="Mesics">{{cite journal |last1=Mesics |first1=Sandy |title=LVAAS Goes Virtual Ballooning |journal=The Observer |date= 2019 |volume=59 |issue=5 |pages=12–13 |url=https://lvaas.org/observer/The_Observer_May_2019.pdf | |
Between 1943 and 1945, Vadala worked at Kellett Aircraft Company, making aircraft parts.<ref name="Chester"/> After ] ended, she returned to university at ] in ].<ref name="Billings"/> She graduated in 1947 with a Bachelor of Science in ] and a minor in ].<ref name="Mesics">{{cite journal |last1=Mesics |first1=Sandy |title=LVAAS Goes Virtual Ballooning |journal=The Observer |date= 2019 |volume=59 |issue=5 |pages=12–13 |url=https://lvaas.org/observer/The_Observer_May_2019.pdf |access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref> | ||
| After graduating, Vadala worked at the ] for eight years,<ref name="Kocher"/> as a lecturer on science and technology.<ref name="Billings"/> She has said that she loved the work, but it did not pay well.<ref name="Kocher"/> Vadala volunteered at the Franklin for another ten years after finding a new job.<ref name="Mesics"/> In 1957 she helped to record the orbit of the Russia's ] satellite<ref name="Chester"/> as part of the Franklin Institute's Moon Watch Team.<ref name="Billings"/> |
After graduating, Vadala worked at the ] for eight years,<ref name="Kocher"/> as a lecturer on science and technology.<ref name="Billings"/> She has said that she loved the work, but it did not pay well.<ref name="Kocher"/> Vadala volunteered at the Franklin for another ten years after finding a new job.<ref name="Mesics"/> In 1957 she helped to record the orbit of the Russia's ] satellite<ref name="Chester"/> as part of the Franklin Institute's Moon Watch Team.<ref name="Billings"/> | ||
| Interested in astronomy, she built by herself a 6-inch telescope.<ref name="Mesics"/> She joined the ], eventually serving as Treasurer, Secretary, and President.<ref name="Chester"/><ref name="Billings">{{cite book |last1=Billings |first1=Cecil M. |title=History of the Rittenhouse Astronomy Society, 1888 – 1960 |date=1959 |publisher=The Rittenhouse Astronomy Society |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |url=http://www.rittenhouseastronomicalsociety.org/Downloads/RAS%20History/RAS%20-%20History.pdf | |
Interested in astronomy, she built by herself a 6-inch telescope.<ref name="Mesics"/> She joined the ], eventually serving as Treasurer, Secretary, and President.<ref name="Chester"/><ref name="Billings">{{cite book |last1=Billings |first1=Cecil M. |title=History of the Rittenhouse Astronomy Society, 1888 – 1960 |date=1959 |publisher=The Rittenhouse Astronomy Society |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |url=http://www.rittenhouseastronomicalsociety.org/Downloads/RAS%20History/RAS%20-%20History.pdf |access-date=4 December 2019 |archive-date=16 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816145028/http://www.rittenhouseastronomicalsociety.org/Downloads/RAS |url-status=dead }}</ref> Her acceptance of the presidency at a time when the organization had largely fallen into disarray was important in restarting its activities.<ref name="Mesics"/><ref name="Brown">{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=David I. |title=Recollections of the Rittenhouse Astronomical Society from the later 1950's through the early 1970s |date=December 2016 |url=http://www.rittenhouseastronomicalsociety.org/Downloads/RAS%20History/david%20brown%20recollections.pdf |website=The Rittenhouse Astronomical Society |access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref> For two terms, she served the ] in the position of Secretary of the Middle East.<ref name="Mesics"/> | ||
| ==Aviation materials research== | ==Aviation materials research== | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| Eleanor Vadala worked for the Naval Air Development department, studying synthetic laminated materials for use in the construction of aircraft.<ref name="Chester"/><ref name="Kocher"/> She held positions at the Naval Air Material Center at the ],<ref>{{cite web |title=Airship fabric display at the Naval Air Material Center|date=1959 |url=https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/9019s2486 |website=Science History Institute | |
Eleanor Vadala worked for the Naval Air Development department, studying synthetic laminated materials for use in the construction of aircraft.<ref name="Chester"/><ref name="Kocher"/> She held positions at the Naval Air Material Center at the ],<ref>{{cite web |title=Airship fabric display at the Naval Air Material Center|date=1959 |url=https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/9019s2486 |website=Science History Institute |access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref> which carried out materials testing and laboratory experiments,<ref>{{cite web |title=Department of the Navy. Bureau of Aeronautics. Naval Aircraft Factory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (1921 – c. 1941) Organization Authority Record |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10481018 |website=National Archives Catalog |access-date=5 December 2019}}</ref> and at the ] in ].<ref name="Nolan"/><!-- 1976 --> She eventually became director of research and development at the Naval Air Development Center.<ref name="Chester"/> | ||
| One of her jobs involved testing the balloons stored in the Naval Air Facility in ] to ensure that they were still safe to use.<ref name="Kocher"/><ref name="Spaeth"/><ref name="Nolan"/> She used an ] Tensile Testing machine to assess the weight, ] and ] of the fabrics used. As a result of her findings, a number of balloons were ruled unfit for use.<ref name="Spaeth"/> |
One of her jobs involved testing the balloons stored in the Naval Air Facility in ], to ensure that they were still safe to use.<ref name="Kocher"/><ref name="Spaeth"/><ref name="Nolan"/> She used an ] Tensile Testing machine to assess the weight, ] and ] of the fabrics used. As a result of her findings, a number of balloons were ruled unfit for use.<ref name="Spaeth"/> | ||
| Vadala also used the Instron to test laminated light weight materials to see if they were suitable for use in aircraft.<ref name="Chester"/> Her publications include ''Failure mechanisms for advanced composite sandwich construction in hostile environments'' (1979)<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Waring |first1=G. |last2=Hofer, Jr. |first2=K. E. |last3=Vadala |first3=E. |last4=Trabocco |first4=R. |title=Failure Mechanisms for Advanced Composite Sandwich Construction in Hostile Environments—Naval Aircraft Structures |journal=Advanced Composites—Special Topics; Proceedings of the Conference |date=1979 |pages=83–122 |url=https://pascal-francis.inist.fr/vibad/index.php?action=getRecordDetail&idt=PASCAL8130198807}}</ref> and ''Triaxially Woven Fabrics of Kevlar, Dacron Polyester and Hybrids of Kevlar and Dacron Polyester'' (1980).<ref name="Vadala">{{cite book |last1=Vadala |first1=Eleanor Th. |title=Triaxially Woven Fabrics of Kevlar, Dacron Polyester and Hybrids of Kevlar and Dacron Polyester |date=3 April 1980 |publisher=Ft. Belvoir Defense Technical Information Center|url=https://archive.org/details/DTIC_ADA086866/page/n14}}</ref> | Vadala also used the Instron to test laminated light weight materials to see if they were suitable for use in aircraft.<ref name="Chester"/> Her publications include ''Failure mechanisms for advanced composite sandwich construction in hostile environments'' (1979)<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Waring |first1=G. |last2=Hofer, Jr. |first2=K. E. |last3=Vadala |first3=E. |last4=Trabocco |first4=R. |title=Failure Mechanisms for Advanced Composite Sandwich Construction in Hostile Environments—Naval Aircraft Structures |journal=Advanced Composites—Special Topics; Proceedings of the Conference |date=1979 |pages=83–122 |url=https://pascal-francis.inist.fr/vibad/index.php?action=getRecordDetail&idt=PASCAL8130198807}}</ref> and ''Triaxially Woven Fabrics of Kevlar, Dacron Polyester and Hybrids of Kevlar and Dacron Polyester'' (1980).<ref name="Vadala">{{cite book |last1=Vadala |first1=Eleanor Th. |title=Triaxially Woven Fabrics of Kevlar, Dacron Polyester and Hybrids of Kevlar and Dacron Polyester |date=3 April 1980 |publisher=Ft. Belvoir Defense Technical Information Center|url=https://archive.org/details/DTIC_ADA086866/page/n14}}</ref> | ||
| ==Ballooning== | ==Ballooning== | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| Vadala was introduced to ballooning through ],<ref name="Kocher">{{cite journal |last1=Kocher |first1=Carris |title=Adventures in Gas Ballooning |url=http://www.aeroclubpa.org/papilot/issues/AeroSummer2017.pdf | |
Vadala was introduced to ballooning through ],<ref name="Kocher">{{cite journal |last1=Kocher |first1=Carris |title=Adventures in Gas Ballooning |url=http://www.aeroclubpa.org/papilot/issues/AeroSummer2017.pdf |access-date=4 December 2019 |journal=Pennsylvania Pilot|volume=28|issue=2|pages=4–5 |date=2017}}</ref> a fellow member of the Rittenhouse Astronomy Society.<ref name="Chester"/> Fairbanks was a charter member of the Balloon Club of America (BCA), incorporated in 1952 in ].<ref name="Kocher"/> | ||
| Eleanor Vadala enjoyed her first balloon flight on January 9, 1954,<ref name="Spaeth"/> a date that commemorated the first balloon flight in the Americas on January 9, 1793,<ref name="Lima"/> by ].<ref name="Chester"/> ] piloted the Balloon Club of America's N9071H, a former U.S. Army balloon built by Goodyear, on its fourth flight for the BCA.<ref name="Spaeth"/> Known as the "Old 80", N9071H was an 80,000 |
Eleanor Vadala enjoyed her first balloon flight on January 9, 1954,<ref name="Spaeth"/> a date that commemorated the first balloon flight in the Americas on January 9, 1793,<ref name="Lima"/> by ].<ref name="Chester"/> ] piloted the Balloon Club of America's N9071H, a former U.S. Army balloon built by Goodyear, on its fourth flight for the BCA.<ref name="Spaeth"/> Known as the "Old 80", N9071H was an {{Convert|80,000|cuft|adj=on}} ].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Inflation and First Flight of the BCA |website=Tony Fairbanks |date=13 July 2015 |url=http://www.tonyfairbanks.org/?page_id=1479}}</ref> Don Piccard was accompanied by Francis Shield, Eleanor Vadala, and another first-time woman balloonist, ]. They landed in ].<ref name="Lima">{{cite news |title=Balloon Flight Commemorates First Aerial Flight In America-in 1793 |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/lima-news-jan-10-1954-p-3/ |access-date=4 December 2019 |work=The Lima News |date=January 10, 1954|page=3}}</ref> Vadala has spoken eloquently of their landing. "We drifted down like one of the snowflakes. We touched down and landed so softly that the deer didn't even move—such a quiet serenity with the snow coming down so gently."<ref name="Kocher"/> The flight was reported by '']'' and other newspapers<ref name="Inquirer">{{cite news |title=Girls sail balloon, mark 1793 flight |journal=] |date=January 10, 1954 }}</ref><ref name="Lima"/> and was the basis for '']''{{'}}s April 1954 cover story.<ref name="Halmi">{{cite journal |last1=Halmi |first1=Robert |title=Pictures Tell the Story: Foot-Loose and Floating Free |journal=Argosy |date=1954 |volume=338 |issue=4 (April) |pages=cover, 32–37}}</ref> | ||
| Vadala's second hot air balloon flight was on July 4, 1954, with Tony Fairbanks. They flew from ] airport, celebrating ].<ref name="Spaeth"/> | Vadala's second hot air balloon flight was on July 4, 1954, with Tony Fairbanks. They flew from ] airport, celebrating ].<ref name="Spaeth"/> | ||
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| Vadala became an active member of the BCA, not only learning to fly, but also repairing the balloons, making nets for them, filling sandbags to use as weights, and driving the chase vehicles that followed the balloons after they launched.<ref name="Kocher"/> The club launched from both the Valley Forge Airport and from Wings Field in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.<ref name="Kocher"/> | Vadala became an active member of the BCA, not only learning to fly, but also repairing the balloons, making nets for them, filling sandbags to use as weights, and driving the chase vehicles that followed the balloons after they launched.<ref name="Kocher"/> The club launched from both the Valley Forge Airport and from Wings Field in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.<ref name="Kocher"/> | ||
| Vadala was the third woman to receive FAA Balloon Pilot Certification,<ref name="Kocher"/><ref name="Chester">{{cite web |last1=Fairbanks |first1=Michael |date= 1996 |title=Ballooning History Display |url=http://www.aeroclubpa.org/balloon-history-display-2017/ |website=Chester County Balloon Festival | |
Vadala was the third woman to receive FAA Balloon Pilot Certification,<ref name="Kocher"/><ref name="Chester">{{cite web |last1=Fairbanks |first1=Michael |date= 1996 |title=Ballooning History Display |url=http://www.aeroclubpa.org/balloon-history-display-2017/ |website=Chester County Balloon Festival |access-date=6 January 2020}}</ref> passing the written test on June 27, 1962, and the flight test on July 13, 1963. She flew from ], to ].<ref name="Spaeth"/> Vadala was preceded as a licensed woman balloon pilot in the United States by ] ("Connie Wolf"), November 26, 1956,<ref name="Wolf">{{cite web |title=Constance C. (Connie) Wolf Inducted into the U. S. Ballooning Hall of Fame on July 26, 2015 |website=National Balloon Museum |access-date=3 December 2019|url= https://www.nationalballoonmuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Constance-C.-Wolf.pdf }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Who's who of ballooning |url=http://www.ballooninghistory.com/whoswho/who%27swho-w.html |website=Ballooning History |access-date=3 December 2019}}</ref> and by ] who was issued her FAI-ACA ballooning license as of July 27, 1934.<ref name="Jeannette">{{cite web |title=PICCARD, Jeannette Ridlon |url=http://www.ballooninghistory.com/whoswho/who%27swho-p.html |website=Who's Who of Ballooning |access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="Waggoner">{{cite news |last1=Waggoner |first1=Walter |title=REV. JEANNETTE PICCARD DIES AT 86; SCIENTIST ENTERED SEMINARY IN '70 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/19/obituaries/rev-jeannette-piccard-dies-at-86-scientist-entered-seminary-in-70.html |access-date=4 December 2019 |work=] |date=May 19, 1981}}</ref><ref name="Kocher"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Print Friendly, PDF & Email Jeannette Piccard – First Woman to Reach the Stratosphere |url=https://www.nastarcenter.com/jeannette-piccard-first-woman-to-reach-the-stratosphere |website=Nastar Center |access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref> | ||
| Vadala's first solo flight occurred on October 20, 1962 in '']''.<ref name="Fairbanks"/> She flew from ] to College Avenue in ]. One of her early solo flights was mentioned with a photograph, in ''Sports Illustrated'' for December 24, 1962.<ref name="Mesics"/><ref>{{cite |
Vadala's first solo flight occurred on October 20, 1962, in '']''.<ref name="Fairbanks"/> She flew from ], to College Avenue in ]. One of her early solo flights was mentioned with a photograph, in ''Sports Illustrated'' for December 24, 1962.<ref name="Mesics"/><ref>{{cite magazine |title=HEIRS TO THE GREAT TRADITION |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1962/12/24/600053/heirs-to-the-great-tradition |access-date=4 December 2019 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=December 24, 1962}}</ref> | ||
| Originally owned by the Navy, the balloon ''La Coquette'' was constructed in 1928, and later sold to the Balloon Club of America. In 1955, it was redecorated and featured in the 1956 film "]". (The ] by ] did not include a balloon flight.) After filming, ''La Coquette'' was returned to the Club and continued to fly.<ref name="Coquette">{{cite web |title=La Coquette – Making of a Movie |url=http://www.tonyfairbanks.org/?page_id=1407 |website=Tony Fairbanks | |
Originally owned by the Navy, the balloon ''La Coquette'' was constructed in 1928, and later sold to the Balloon Club of America. In 1955, it was redecorated and featured in the 1956 film "]". (The ] by ] did not include a balloon flight.) After filming, ''La Coquette'' was returned to the Club and continued to fly.<ref name="Coquette">{{cite web |title=La Coquette – Making of a Movie |url=http://www.tonyfairbanks.org/?page_id=1407 |website=Tony Fairbanks | date=9 July 2015 |access-date=3 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="Fairbanks">{{cite news |last1=Fairbanks |first1=Michael |title=Balloon Aweigh! La Coquette and Eleanor Vadala mark the Navy Yard's 50th anniversary in 1967 |url=https://hotairballoonist.com/forum/index.php?/topic/2434-vadala-eleanor/ |access-date=4 December 2019 |work=Ballooning |issue=Nov/Dec|pages=31–32 |date=2016}}</ref> | ||
| In 1967, the Philadelphia Navy Yard decided to commemorate their 50th anniversary with a gas balloon launch. Vadala organized the launch, and was pilot-in-command of ''La Coquette'' for the flight,<ref name="Chester"/> which occurred on July 29, 1967.<ref name="Spaeth"/> |
In 1967, the Philadelphia Navy Yard decided to commemorate their 50th anniversary with a gas balloon launch. Vadala organized the launch, and was pilot-in-command of ''La Coquette'' for the flight,<ref name="Chester"/> which occurred on July 29, 1967.<ref name="Spaeth"/> | ||
| Vadala presented public educational programs about ballooning and was an instructor for hot air balloons. Unofficially, she served as the first secretary of the Balloon Federation of America, when it was formed in 1961.<ref name="Chester"/><ref name="Kocher"/> | |||
| Vadala also taught classes in ] (ESL) to immigrants. At age 63 she married an amateur balloonist, Rittenhouse Astronomical Society member, and astronomer for the Franklin Institute,<ref name="Mesics"/> ] (1907–1986).<ref name="Bailey">{{cite news |title=Edwin F. Bailey, 78, prominent astronomer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25799917/the_philadelphia_inquirer/ | |
Vadala also taught classes in ] (ESL) to immigrants. At age 63 she married an amateur balloonist, Rittenhouse Astronomical Society member, and astronomer for the Franklin Institute,<ref name="Mesics"/> ] (1907–1986).<ref name="Bailey">{{cite news |title=Edwin F. Bailey, 78, prominent astronomer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25799917/the_philadelphia_inquirer/ |access-date=4 December 2019 |work=] |date=April 17, 1986}}</ref> After his death, she established the Edwin F. Bailey Scholarship Award at ] in his memory.<ref>{{cite web |title=Edwin F. Bailey Scholarship Award |url=https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/artsci/astronomy/academic-programs/student-awards/bailey-award.html |website=Villanova University |access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref> | ||
| == |
==Death== | ||
| Eleanor Vadala died at her home in ], on July 19, 2023, at the age of 99.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eleanor Vadala |url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/eleanor-vadala-obituary?pid=204953689 |website=Legacy | date=22 July 2023 |access-date=27 July 2023}}</ref> | |||
| ==References== | |||
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Latest revision as of 14:04, 11 April 2024
American chemist, materials engineer and balloonist (1923–2023)| Eleanor Vadala | |
|---|---|
 Vadala in 1953 | |
| Born | (1923-09-08)September 8, 1923 National Park, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | July 19, 2023(2023-07-19) (aged 99) Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Juniata College |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Materials science, ballooning |
| Institutions | Franklin Institute, Naval Air Development Center in Warminster, PA |
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 "Eleanor Vadala's First Flight", March 6, 2018 |
Eleanor Vadala (September 8, 1923 – July 19, 2023) was an American chemist, materials engineer and balloonist. She became director of research and development at the Naval Air Development Center in Pennsylvania, where she helped to develop light synthetic materials for use in aircraft. One of her jobs was the testing of fabric in existing balloons to ensure they could be used safely.
Vadala was the third woman in the United States to be FAA-certified as a balloon pilot. As member of the Balloon Club of America, Vadala participated in 66 balloon flights, 47 flights in gas balloons and 19 flights in hot air balloons. Vadala was one of the first female pilots to participate internationally. She was involved in 13 flights hosted by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) between 1959 and 1963.
On July 28, 2019, Vadala was inducted into the Balloon Federation of America Hall of Fame, at the National Balloon Museum in Indianola, Iowa.
Education and early career
Eleanor Vadala was born on September 8, 1923, in National Park, New Jersey. She attended school in Atlantic City and Cardiff in New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Between 1943 and 1945, Vadala worked at Kellett Aircraft Company, making aircraft parts. After World War II ended, she returned to university at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. She graduated in 1947 with a Bachelor of Science in nutrition and a minor in chemistry.
After graduating, Vadala worked at the Franklin Institute for eight years, as a lecturer on science and technology. She has said that she loved the work, but it did not pay well. Vadala volunteered at the Franklin for another ten years after finding a new job. In 1957 she helped to record the orbit of the Russia's Sputnik satellite as part of the Franklin Institute's Moon Watch Team.
Interested in astronomy, she built by herself a 6-inch telescope. She joined the Rittenhouse Astronomy Society, eventually serving as Treasurer, Secretary, and President. Her acceptance of the presidency at a time when the organization had largely fallen into disarray was important in restarting its activities. For two terms, she served the Astronomical League in the position of Secretary of the Middle East.
Aviation materials research
Eleanor Vadala worked for the Naval Air Development department, studying synthetic laminated materials for use in the construction of aircraft. She held positions at the Naval Air Material Center at the Philadelphia Naval Yard, which carried out materials testing and laboratory experiments, and at the Naval Air Development Center in Warminster, Pennsylvania. She eventually became director of research and development at the Naval Air Development Center.
One of her jobs involved testing the balloons stored in the Naval Air Facility in Lakehurst, New Jersey, to ensure that they were still safe to use. She used an Instron Tensile Testing machine to assess the weight, compressive strength and tensile strength of the fabrics used. As a result of her findings, a number of balloons were ruled unfit for use.
Vadala also used the Instron to test laminated light weight materials to see if they were suitable for use in aircraft. Her publications include Failure mechanisms for advanced composite sandwich construction in hostile environments (1979) and Triaxially Woven Fabrics of Kevlar, Dacron Polyester and Hybrids of Kevlar and Dacron Polyester (1980).
Ballooning
Vadala was introduced to ballooning through Tony Fairbanks, a fellow member of the Rittenhouse Astronomy Society. Fairbanks was a charter member of the Balloon Club of America (BCA), incorporated in 1952 in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.
Eleanor Vadala enjoyed her first balloon flight on January 9, 1954, a date that commemorated the first balloon flight in the Americas on January 9, 1793, by Jean-Pierre Blanchard. Don Piccard piloted the Balloon Club of America's N9071H, a former U.S. Army balloon built by Goodyear, on its fourth flight for the BCA. Known as the "Old 80", N9071H was an 80,000-cubic-foot (2,300 m) gas balloon. Don Piccard was accompanied by Francis Shield, Eleanor Vadala, and another first-time woman balloonist, Kate C. Ornsen. They landed in Netcong, New Jersey. Vadala has spoken eloquently of their landing. "We drifted down like one of the snowflakes. We touched down and landed so softly that the deer didn't even move—such a quiet serenity with the snow coming down so gently." The flight was reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer and other newspapers and was the basis for Argosy's April 1954 cover story.
Vadala's second hot air balloon flight was on July 4, 1954, with Tony Fairbanks. They flew from Valley Forge airport, celebrating Independence Day.
Vadala became an active member of the BCA, not only learning to fly, but also repairing the balloons, making nets for them, filling sandbags to use as weights, and driving the chase vehicles that followed the balloons after they launched. The club launched from both the Valley Forge Airport and from Wings Field in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.
Vadala was the third woman to receive FAA Balloon Pilot Certification, passing the written test on June 27, 1962, and the flight test on July 13, 1963. She flew from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, to Hilltown, Pennsylvania. Vadala was preceded as a licensed woman balloon pilot in the United States by Constance C. Wolf ("Connie Wolf"), November 26, 1956, and by Jeannette Piccard who was issued her FAI-ACA ballooning license as of July 27, 1934.
Vadala's first solo flight occurred on October 20, 1962, in La Coquette. She flew from Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, to College Avenue in Havertown, Pennsylvania. One of her early solo flights was mentioned with a photograph, in Sports Illustrated for December 24, 1962.
Originally owned by the Navy, the balloon La Coquette was constructed in 1928, and later sold to the Balloon Club of America. In 1955, it was redecorated and featured in the 1956 film "Around the World in Eighty Days". (The original book by Jules Verne did not include a balloon flight.) After filming, La Coquette was returned to the Club and continued to fly.
In 1967, the Philadelphia Navy Yard decided to commemorate their 50th anniversary with a gas balloon launch. Vadala organized the launch, and was pilot-in-command of La Coquette for the flight, which occurred on July 29, 1967.
Vadala presented public educational programs about ballooning and was an instructor for hot air balloons. Unofficially, she served as the first secretary of the Balloon Federation of America, when it was formed in 1961.
Vadala also taught classes in English as a Second Language (ESL) to immigrants. At age 63 she married an amateur balloonist, Rittenhouse Astronomical Society member, and astronomer for the Franklin Institute, Edwin F. Bailey (1907–1986). After his death, she established the Edwin F. Bailey Scholarship Award at Villanova University in his memory.
Death
Eleanor Vadala died at her home in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, on July 19, 2023, at the age of 99.
References
- ^ Fairbanks, Michael (1996). "Ballooning History Display". Chester County Balloon Festival. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ Kocher, Carris (2017). "Adventures in Gas Ballooning" (PDF). Pennsylvania Pilot. 28 (2): 4–5. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ Spaeth, Debbie (February 6, 2017). "Vadala, Eleanor". Hot Air Balloonist. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ Vadala, E. Th.; Mayer, Norman J. (1976). Nolan, George F. (ed.). "Determination of the Airworthiness of ZPG-3W Cotton D-621 and the ZPG-2 Dacron GDC-5 Airship Envelopes". Proceedings, Ninth AFGL Scientific Balloon Symposium, 20 October to 22 October 1976 Air Force Geophysics Laboratories, Air Force Systems Command, United States Air Force: 509–540. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- "Hall Of Fame Induction". Ballooning Hall of Fame. July 28, 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ Billings, Cecil M. (1959). History of the Rittenhouse Astronomy Society, 1888 – 1960. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Rittenhouse Astronomy Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ Mesics, Sandy (2019). "LVAAS Goes Virtual Ballooning" (PDF). The Observer. 59 (5): 12–13. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- Brown, David I. (December 2016). "Recollections of the Rittenhouse Astronomical Society from the later 1950's through the early 1970s" (PDF). The Rittenhouse Astronomical Society. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- "Airship fabric display at the Naval Air Material Center". Science History Institute. 1959. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- "Department of the Navy. Bureau of Aeronautics. Naval Aircraft Factory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (1921 – c. 1941) Organization Authority Record". National Archives Catalog. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- Waring, G.; Hofer, Jr., K. E.; Vadala, E.; Trabocco, R. (1979). "Failure Mechanisms for Advanced Composite Sandwich Construction in Hostile Environments—Naval Aircraft Structures". Advanced Composites—Special Topics; Proceedings of the Conference: 83–122.
- Vadala, Eleanor Th. (3 April 1980). Triaxially Woven Fabrics of Kevlar, Dacron Polyester and Hybrids of Kevlar and Dacron Polyester. Ft. Belvoir Defense Technical Information Center.
- ^ "Balloon Flight Commemorates First Aerial Flight In America-in 1793". The Lima News. January 10, 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- "The Inflation and First Flight of the BCA". Tony Fairbanks. 13 July 2015.
- "Girls sail balloon, mark 1793 flight". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 10, 1954.
- Halmi, Robert (1954). "Pictures Tell the Story: Foot-Loose and Floating Free". Argosy. 338 (4 (April)): cover, 32–37.
- "Constance C. (Connie) Wolf Inducted into the U. S. Ballooning Hall of Fame on July 26, 2015" (PDF). National Balloon Museum. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- "Who's who of ballooning". Ballooning History. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- "PICCARD, Jeannette Ridlon". Who's Who of Ballooning. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- Waggoner, Walter (May 19, 1981). "REV. JEANNETTE PICCARD DIES AT 86; SCIENTIST ENTERED SEMINARY IN '70". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- "Print Friendly, PDF & Email Jeannette Piccard – First Woman to Reach the Stratosphere". Nastar Center. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ Fairbanks, Michael (2016). "Balloon Aweigh! La Coquette and Eleanor Vadala mark the Navy Yard's 50th anniversary in 1967". Ballooning. No. Nov/Dec. pp. 31–32. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- "HEIRS TO THE GREAT TRADITION". Sports Illustrated. December 24, 1962. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- "La Coquette – Making of a Movie". Tony Fairbanks. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- "Edwin F. Bailey, 78, prominent astronomer". The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 17, 1986. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- "Edwin F. Bailey Scholarship Award". Villanova University. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- "Eleanor Vadala". Legacy. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- 1923 births
- 2023 deaths
- 20th-century American chemists
- 20th-century American women scientists
- American balloonists
- American materials scientists
- American women aviators
- American women chemists
- Aviators from New Jersey
- Juniata College alumni
- People from National Park, New Jersey
- Chemists from New Jersey
- 21st-century American women