Lawrence Sperry Lawrence Sperry Lawrence Burst Sperry (21 December 1892, Chicago, Illinois, United States – December 13, 1923, English Channel) was an aviation pioneer. He was the third son of the gyrocompass co-inventor, Elmer Ambrose Sperry and his wife Zula. Sperry invented the first autopilot, which he demonstrated with startling success in France in 1914. Sperry is also credited with developing the artificial horizon still used on most aircraft in the early 21st century. On 13 December 1923 Sperry took off amid fog in a Verville-Sperry M-1 Messenger from the United Kingdom headed for France but never reached his destination. His body
Sperry Marine Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine is part of Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems and, through various mergers, has built a heritage that includes Decca Radars, Sperry Marine, and C. Plath. Northrop Grumman purchased Litton Industries in April 2001 forming Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine. Sperry Marine Northrop Grumman offers a range of marine navigation products and solutions including Marine Radars, Gyrocompasses, Steering Systems, Autopilots and Integrated Bridge Systems. Sperry Marine is one of the oldest manufacturers of gyro compasses. Its founder, Elmer Ambrose Sperry, was working on the first prototype of the gyrocompass at the same time as Hermann