John Leland Atwood (October 26, 1904 – March 5, 1999) was a prominent American engineer. He worked as Chief Engineer/Executive at North American Aviation for over 35 years, succeeding Dutch Kindelberger as president and CEO. He developed the P-51 Mustang during World War II, the F-100 jet fighter, the X-15 rocket plane, and oversaw the Apollo program. Early life Atwood was born in Walton, Kentucky, on October 26, 1904, to Reverend Dr. Elmer Bugg Atwood and Mabel Bagby Atwood. His younger brother was the linguist Elmer Bagby Atwood. He studied at Hardin-Simmons University from 1924 to 1926, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, and then took postgraduate engineering courses at the University of Texas, to obtain his Bachelor of Science degree in 1928. Career Atwood worked for Douglas Aircraft Company in Southern California, and joined North American Aviation in 1934. He quickly became a vice-president and in 1938 was appointed deputy general manager of North American Aviation. In 1941, he became First Vice President. World War II Among the aircraft designed and built by North American during World War II: the P-51 Mustang fighter plane, which achieved particularly impressive results in the Eighth Air Force; the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber, used by Jimmy Doolittle and 79 airmen in the famous Doolittle Raid; and the T-6 Texan, which almost all American and British Commonwealth airmen of the Second World War flew in training. Post war Atwood later became president of North American Aviation in 1948 and oversaw the development of some of the most important aircraft produced in the United States. These included the F-86 Sabre, which has shown a 10-to-1 superiority over Soviet MiG-15s, during the Korean War. Others include the F-100 Super Sabre, X-15 rocket plane, XB-70 Valkyrie bomber, and the B-1 Lancer bomber. After World War II, Atwood used North American's resources to make its business indispensable in new high-tech fields such as the Apollo program. In 1960 he became CEO and in 1962 he became chairman of the board, following the death of Dutch Kindelberger in 1962. In 1967, Atwood partnered with Willard Rockwell to form North American Rockwell. He was president and CEO of the new company. Atwood retired in 1970 and held a position on the board until 1978. He died on March 5, 1999. Legacy Under the leadership of Atwood, the North American Aviation and its employees won three Collier Trophy for their work