Mel Beardsley

Mel Beardsley  earned a masters degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech in 1939, and worked for the Engineering Experiment Station, now Georgia Tech Research Institute. He also worked for several firms, including Chrysler Corp., before being called back to active duty.  After the war Beardsley worked for Northrop, on the development of the Flying Wing, a very high tech long-range bomber which was all wing–no fuselage or tail. In one of his various career endeavors Beardsley who was very interested in keeping beaches from eroding, co-invented the “hovercraft”.