(~1905-1955) SSA Co-Founder, Treasurer; National Competition; Sailplane Designer/Manufacturer; Head Glider/Personnel Snatch Units WWII
Eaton Design Award 1937; Silver #10 (Int #511) 1936
Art Schultz graduated from the University of Michigan in 1927 with a BS degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He was one of the founder members with the original directors of the Soaring Society of America. In addition, he served as SSA Treasurer for a number of years.
Art Schultz was the spark plug of gliding and soaring in the mid-west area, but also a contestant in most of the early National Soaring Contests.
His progress in glider design and construction, as well his resulting ABC Sailplane, enabled him to win the Warren Eaton Sailplane Design Competition in 1937. The rules of the competition required drawings and stress analysis data to be presented with the complete aircraft. Art attained his Silver "C" badge # 10 in 1937 (Intl #511) that same year in this sailplane. A later Schultz design, the Midwest Utility Glider, received its CAA Approved Type Certificate in 1945.
A variant of the Schultz ABC, the Midwest MU-1 had a 36 foot span with a wing area of 172 sq feet and aspect ratio of 7.5. The airfoil was an NACA 4412. Empty weight was 323 lbs and the gross weight 513 lbs for a wing loading of 2.98 psf. The L/D max was estimated as 15 at 36 mph and the minimum sink 2.9 fps at 30 mph. At least six were built.
During World War II years and until 1947, Art was Chief Engineer of All American Aviation, Incorporated. Under his direction, the design and construction of the glider snatch pick-up units were completed as well as the personnel snatch units which played an important role during the war.
After World War II, Art Schultz's work as Senior Mechanical Engineer and Group Leader with the Reactor Engine Division of the Argonne National Laboratory of Lemont, Illinois, kept him fully occupied during those years. However, he still maintained his interest in soaring and declared his intention of again taking on a more active part in the sport. Only his automobile accident in January of 1955 prevented his attendance at the Soaring Society of America meeting in New York.
This sailplane, the Schultz Nucleon, was built in 1954 and had a span of 46 feet with aspect ratio of 16 utilizing an NACA airfoil NACA 65(2)-415, 64(1)-A212. Empty weight was 345 lbs with gross weight 535 lbs. The structure was single strut braced all-wood wings, steel tube/fabric wings and braced tail. L/D estimated at 22 (47 mph) and minimum sink 3.3 fps at 43 mph. The wing was built of Styrofoam around a spar and covered with a fiberglass shell (pre-dating modern homebuilt design practice). To save weight, struts were used but they are fixed at both ends and cuffed; full-span flaps, with drooping ailerons, are featured; and the horizontal tail folds up for trailering. The Nucleon was flown in the 1956 Nationals placing 16 out of 46 entrants and made several 200-mile flights.