Chen Shilu

Chen Shilu (Chinese: 陈士橹; pinyin: Chén Shìlǔ; 24 September 1920 – 24 April 2016) was a Chinese flight mechanics expert, educator and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE).

Chen was born in Dongyang County, Zhejiang. He obtained a bachelor's degree of aeronautical engineering from National Southwestern Associated University in 1945.^[1] He became a teaching assistant in National Southwestern Associated University (1945–1946) and Tsinghua University (1946–1948) after his graduation. He taught at National Chiao Tung University as a lecturer in 1948. Chen moved to Eastern China Aeronautics Institute in 1952 due to the adjustment for university colleges and departments in China.^[1] He went to Soviet Union in 1956 by the Chinese government sponsorship and obtained a master's degree from Moscow Aviation Institute in 1958.^[2]

Chen returned to Northwestern Polytechnical University^{[Note 1]} and founded the Department of Aerospace Engineering in 1959.^[2] Chen's research was mainly in the field of flight mechanics and fostered China's first and second doctors in flight mechanics.^[1] He became the foreign academician of Russian Academy of Astronautics on 29 March 1994.^[1] On 24 November 1997, Chen was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering for his achievements in flight mechanics.^[1]

Chen died on 24 April 2016 at the age of 95 in Xi'an.^[3]

^{^[Note 1]} Eastern China Aeronautics Institute was relocated to Xi'an and renamed as the Xi'an Aeronautics Institute in 1956. Xi'an Aeronautics Institute was merged to form the Northwestern Polytechnical University in 1958.