David Keith-Lucas
Encyclopedia
David Keith-Lucas CBE
(25 March 1911 – 6 April 1997) was an aeronautical engineer.
, who invented the first aeronautical compass. He was educated at Gresham's School
, Holt
, and at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
, where he read engineering.
in 1944.
From 1945 to 1965 he was with Short Brothers
and Harland Ltd in Belfast, holding the posts of chief designer, technical director and research director. His work included research on swept-wings which culminated in the Short SB-5
research aircraft. Other projects included the Short Belfast
heavy freighter, the Short Skyvan, and the SD-330 and SD-360 freight-commuter series.
The Short SB.1
was a shoulder-wing, cantilever, tailless monoplane glider designed by David Keith-Lucas and Professor Geoffrey T.R. Hill and built by Shorts as a private research venture to test the concept of the aero-isoclinic wing; it was the first aircraft to incorporate this feature. After initial tests, at the end of which the SB.1 crash-landed as a result of problems while being towed behind the Short Sturgeon
, the SB.1 was further developed into the Short SB.4 Sherpa, powered by two Blackburn Turbomeca Palas turbojet engines.
In 1951, Keith-Lucas designed the Short SB-6 Seamew
as a lightweight anti-submarine platform.
While in Belfast, he served on the Senate of the Queen's University, Belfast.
In 1965 he was appointed Professor of Aircraft Design at the College of Aeronautics, Cranfield, later the Cranfield Institute of Technology, and welded together the departments of Aerodynamics, Aircraft Design and Flight into a new College of Aeronautics. In 1972, he became its Professor of Aeronautics and also Chairman of the College, which now forms part of Cranfield University
.
On retirement in 1976, he was appointed Professor Emeritus and awarded an Honorary Doctorate.
, North Carolina
, where the Wright brothers
had made their flights. His wife was killed there in a road accident, and Keith-Lucas himself was seriously injured. In 1981, he married secondly Phyllis Everard Whurr.
Keith-Lucas's brother, Professor Bryan Keith-Lucas
, a political scientist and Master of Darwin College, Kent
, died in 1996. He was also the brother of Social Work Professor Alan Keith-Lucas
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(25 March 1911 – 6 April 1997) was an aeronautical engineer.
Early life
David Keith-Lucas was one of the sons of Keith LucasKeith Lucas
Keith Lucas FRS was a British scientist who worked at Trinity College, Cambridge doing pioneering work in Neuroscience....
, who invented the first aeronautical compass. He was educated at Gresham's School
Gresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
, and at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and...
, where he read engineering.
Career
He was an apprentice and engineer with C.A. Parsons and Co. from 1933 to 1940, then moved to the aerodynamics office of Short Brothers, Rochester, famous for their flying boats, becoming their chief aerodynamicistAerodynamics
Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with...
in 1944.
From 1945 to 1965 he was with Short Brothers
Short Brothers
Short Brothers plc is a British aerospace company, usually referred to simply as Shorts, that is now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1908, Shorts was the first company in the world to make production aircraft and was a manufacturer of flying boats during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s...
and Harland Ltd in Belfast, holding the posts of chief designer, technical director and research director. His work included research on swept-wings which culminated in the Short SB-5
Short SB5
-See also:Related development:* English Electric LightningComparable aircraft:* Handley-Page HP.115* Saab 210-References:* "Empire Test Pilots' School: Twenty Five Years". Empire Test Pilots' School Twenty-fifth Anniversary brochure. 1968....
research aircraft. Other projects included the Short Belfast
Short Belfast
The Short Belfast is a heavy lift turboprop freighter built by Short Brothers at Belfast. Only 10 were built for the British Royal Air Force with the designation Short Belfast C.1. When they were retired by the RAF, five went into civilian service with the cargo airline HeavyLift Cargo Airlines...
heavy freighter, the Short Skyvan, and the SD-330 and SD-360 freight-commuter series.
The Short SB.1
Short SB.1
|-References:NotesBibliography* Barnes, C.H. with revisions by James, Derek N. Shorts Aircraft since 1900. London: Putnam, 1989 . ISBN 0-85177-819-4....
was a shoulder-wing, cantilever, tailless monoplane glider designed by David Keith-Lucas and Professor Geoffrey T.R. Hill and built by Shorts as a private research venture to test the concept of the aero-isoclinic wing; it was the first aircraft to incorporate this feature. After initial tests, at the end of which the SB.1 crash-landed as a result of problems while being towed behind the Short Sturgeon
Short Sturgeon
The Short Sturgeon was a British aircraft originally designed in the Second World War as a high-performance torpedo bomber. With the end of the war in the Pacific it was no longer needed as such. Through shifting priorities postwar, the Sturgeon was redesigned first into a target tug and then later...
, the SB.1 was further developed into the Short SB.4 Sherpa, powered by two Blackburn Turbomeca Palas turbojet engines.
In 1951, Keith-Lucas designed the Short SB-6 Seamew
Short Seamew
The Short SB.6 Seamew was a British aircraft designed in 1951 by David Keith-Lucas of Shorts as a lightweight anti-submarine platform to replace the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm 's Grumman Avenger AS 4 with the Reserve branch of the service...
as a lightweight anti-submarine platform.
While in Belfast, he served on the Senate of the Queen's University, Belfast.
In 1965 he was appointed Professor of Aircraft Design at the College of Aeronautics, Cranfield, later the Cranfield Institute of Technology, and welded together the departments of Aerodynamics, Aircraft Design and Flight into a new College of Aeronautics. In 1972, he became its Professor of Aeronautics and also Chairman of the College, which now forms part of Cranfield University
Cranfield University
Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
.
On retirement in 1976, he was appointed Professor Emeritus and awarded an Honorary Doctorate.
Career in Brief
- Chief Aerodynamicist, Short Bros 1940-49
- Chief Designer, Short Bros & Harland Ltd. 1949-58
- Technical Director, Short Bros & Harland Ltd. 1958-64
- Director of Research Short Bros & Harland Ltd. 1964-65
- Member of the Senate of the Queen's University, Belfast, 1960–65
- Professor of Aircraft Design, Cranfield Institute of Technology 1965-72
- Professor of Aeronautics, College of Aeronautics,1972–76
- Chairman, College of Aeronautics 1972-76
Honours
- President of the Royal Aeronautical SocietyRoyal Aeronautical SocietyThe Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a multidisciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community.-Function:...
, 1968 - Honorary Doctorate Queen's University, Belfast, 1968
- Commander of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, 1973 - Honorary Doctorate, Cranfield UniversityCranfield UniversityCranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
, 1976 - Emeritus Professor, College of Aeronautics, 1976
- Gold Medal of the Royal Aeronautical SocietyRoyal Aeronautical SocietyThe Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a multidisciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community.-Function:...
, 1975
Other Appointments
- Member of the Council of the Air Registration Board, 1967–1972
- Chairman of the Airworthiness Requirements Board, 1972–1982
- Member of the Roskill Commission for the Third London Airport, 1968-1970.
Family
In 1942, Keith-Lucas married firstly Dorothy de Bauduy Robertson, and they had two sons and one daughter. In 1979, he and his wife visited Kitty HawkKitty Hawk, North Carolina
Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,000 at the 2000 census. It was established in the early 18th century as Chickahawk....
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, where the Wright brothers
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
had made their flights. His wife was killed there in a road accident, and Keith-Lucas himself was seriously injured. In 1981, he married secondly Phyllis Everard Whurr.
Keith-Lucas's brother, Professor Bryan Keith-Lucas
Bryan Keith-Lucas
Bryan Keith-Lucas CBE was an English political scientist.-Education:...
, a political scientist and Master of Darwin College, Kent
Darwin College, Kent
Darwin College is the fourth oldest college of the University of Kent, an English institution in the United Kingdom. It was opened in 1970.- Namesake :After heavy debate, it was named after Charles Darwin, the biologist...
, died in 1996. He was also the brother of Social Work Professor Alan Keith-Lucas
Alan Keith-Lucas
Alan Keith Lucas was a social worker and professor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill who worked primarily with residential childcare.-Early life:...
.