William C. Geer

William C. Geer (1876 – 9 September 1964) was a B.F. Goodrich chemist and eventual Vice President of Research known for inventing the aircraft Deicing boot.[1][2] Geer began working on the deicing problem in 1927. By 1929 the work showed enough promise that he won support from the Guggenheim fund, and by 1930 he had made the first flight test.[3] He was able to persuade C. W. Leguillon of the B. F. Goodrich Tire and Rubber Company that his system worked, and a commitment to develop the device. He eventually held 40 patents on the deicing boot. He also developed golf ball cover materials and adhesives for bonding rubber to various substrates.

Operation of deicing boots

Geer was a native of Ogdensburg, New York. He received his doctorate in chemistry from Cornell University in 1905.[4] He joined the B. F. Goodrich Rubber Company in 1907 as Chief Chemist. He became vice president of research in 1920, retiring in 1925 due to ill health.

He won the 1951 Charles Goodyear Medal.

References
  1. "William C. Geer, Inventor, Dies". New York Times. 10 September 1964. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  2. Van der Linden, F. Robert; Seely, Victor J (2011). The Boeing 247: The First Modern Airliner. University of Washington Press. p. 95. ISBN 9780295803814. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  3. Gooley, Lawrence P. (18 May 2019). "William C. Geer Invented Plane-Wing Deicing Device". Adirondack Almanack. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  4. Launius, Roger D.; Daly Bednarek, Janet R. (2015). Reconsidering a Century of Flight. UNC Press Books. p. 135. ISBN 9781469625584.
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