One forgotten pioneer of aviation was Able Seaman George DeBeeson, a World War I Naval aviator who patented the first practical autopilot during the 1930’s. If you’ve ever heard a flyer refer to the autopilot function on their aircraft as “George,” it may just be an homage to the brilliant mind of DeBeeson, who also relished stunt flying and enjoyed landscape painting, manufacturing ceramics, and even illustrating for the likes of Walt Disney and Universal Studios.

George DeJean DeBeeson was born in Shickley, Nebraska on May 31, 1897. Growing up on a farm, George only acquired an 8th grade education, but his natural brilliance was apparent to all. He was a skilled artist and easily took to blacksmithing. In 1914, he helped his brother build an airplane of sorts on the family farm. A relative later recalled how the aircraft was constructed of “piano wire and canvas and bicycle tires,” and that it won a prize in the Geneva County fair.

During World War I, DeBeeson enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve on October 3, 1918, just before the Armistice. He trained briefly as an aviator before being discharged on December 14th of the same year. While his military service may have concluded, his passion for aviation did not. He continued to fly, tinker, and move in the same circles as aviation legends Jimmy Doolittle, Wiley Post, and Frank Hawkes.

DeBeeson obsessed over creating a better autopilot and by 1931 he had succeeded. His “Iron Skull,” autopilot received rave reviews from the likes of General Electric and publications like Modern Mechanics and Aviation Magazines, but he was never able to cash in on his invention and later claimed that he had been swindled by one of the first companies he had demonstrated his product to.

Still, he led an amazingly accomplished life and passed away on February 23, 1965, at the age 67. 

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery

Brilliant!
Wish he had further education. Though he was an asset to his  country. He was also a great contributor to  our whole human race.   


GEORGE DEJEAN DEBEESON

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