July 25, 1921. The Wasp easily passed its official qualification test in March 1926 and the Navy ordered 200 engines. The speed, climb performance, and reliability that the engine offered revolutionized American aviation. Over the next twenty years, from the original Wasp design the Pratt & Whitney Wasp series developed, approaching ten times the power of the 1925 engine. In 1929, Rentschler ended his association with Pratt & Whitney Machine Tool Company, but was allowed to keep the name Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company. Rentschler, Vought and William Boeing of The Boeing Company formed the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation. United Aircraft completed the first coast-to-coast passenger network in March of that year. In 1934, UATC was broken up, and its manufacturing interests east of the Mississippi River became United Aircraft Corporation, headquartered in Hartford with Rentschler as president. Rentschler turned to developing jet engines after World War II. Pratt & Whitney produced the J57 jet engine in 1953. The engine was used to power the first B-52 Stratofortress in 1954. Rentschler remained as president of United Aircraft until his death on April 25, 1956, in Boca Raton, Florida. He is buried at Fairview Cemetery in West Hartford. Awards In 1951, Rentschler was made an Officer of the Légion d'honneur “for his contribution to the progress of aeronautical science". In 1958, the United States Air Force posthumously presented him with the Civilian Service Award for Exceptional Service as a pioneer in the development, research and manufacture of aircraft engines. He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1982. Legacy Pratt & Whitney's former company airfield, located in East Hartford, Connecticut, was named Rentschler Field in his honor. The airfield was decommissioned in 1995, and the land it was on was donated to the state of Connecticut in 1999. A stadium, also called Rentschler Field, was built on the site and opened in 2003 as the home field for the University of Connecticut football team. References External links Time, May 28, 1951 "Photo Galleries / Celebrities / Frederick Rentschler in front of his Vought 02U Corsair" "Chance Vought/LTV History", University of Texas, Dallas American aerospace engineers American aviation businesspeople American company founders 1887 births 1956 deaths Businesspeople from Hartford, Connecticut United Technologies people Wright brothers People from Hamilton, Ohio Princeton University alumni