Aero100

Presented by the UM College of Engineering

Allan and Malcolm Loughead were pioneers of California’s airplane industry. They pronounced Loughead “lock-heed.” Later in their lives they changed the spelling to match the pronunciation.

The brothers were born in Niles, California. They became interested in airplanes as teenagers, after their older brother showed them a book that he wrote about planes and flying.

As young men, the Loughead brothers worked as auto mechanics. They designed and built airplanes in their free time. In 1913, they flew their first plane over San Francisco Bay. It was …

One of the things that binds us all together is the love of aeronautics and space exploration. It is as true today as it was 100 years ago. The University of Michigan started the first collegiate aeronautics program in the United States in 1914. Since then, the Department has graduated more than 6,000 aeronautical and aerospace engineers. Our graduate program ranks No. 1 among public institutions and our undergraduate program ranks No. 3 in the nation by U.S. News for 2013.