Wendl attended
Washington University in St. Louis, graduating with
BS in
Electrical Engineering (EE) from the
School of Engineering and Applied Science in 1958. He did his graduate work at the same institution under
John Zaborszky, working as an instructor for physics and EE courses and completing a thesis on the control of
servos for heated gases in 1961. Wendl joined
McDonnell Aircraft working in guidance and flight control systems, which at this time were topics experiencing rapid advancements. The company had expanded its efforts into a vigorous research and development program to support its aircraft and missile programs and Wendl's efforts focused on propulsion/control coupling,
energy management, fly-by-wire controls,
terrain following, and control augmentation. In 1968, he co-authored a paper documenting the development of vertical terrain-following capability based on the
General Electric 666A actuator system as applied to fighter-bomber aircraft, in particular the
F-4. a cultural leader within the German-American community, and is the father of
Michael Christopher Wendl. Wendl died on May 22, 2025, at the age of 90. == References ==