Hawley Bowlus

William Hawley Bowlus (May 8, 1896 – August 27, 1967[1]) was an American designer, engineer and builder of aircraft (especially gliders) and recreational vehicles in the 1930s and 1940s.

Today he is most widely known for his creation of the world's first aluminum travel trailer, the Bowlus Road Chief,[2] which Airstream imitated in 1936 to create the Clipper.

He also designed and constructed the innovative but unsuccessful XCG-16A experimental military glider ordered by the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943, appearing as XCG-16 in the list of Vincent Burnelli airplanes.

[citation needed] Most notably Point Loma in San Diego California where Bowlus conducted many of his flights and tests.

Charles Lindbergh established a regional distance record for gliders by flying in a Bowlus sailplane from Mount Soledad in La Jolla to Del Mar, making use of the lift at Torrey Pines Gliderport.