Leslie Everett Baynes, AFRAeS (23 March 1902 – 13 March 1989) was an English

aeronautical engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...

Early life

Born at

Barnes Barnes may refer to: People * Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom *Barnes, London, England **Barnes railway station ** Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes Railway Bri ...

, Surrey, on 23 March 1902 the son of James and Florence Baynes. Baynes was educated at

Gresham's School Gresham's School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent Day school, day and boarding school) in Holt, Norfolk, Holt, Norfolk, England, one of the top thirty International Bac ...

, Norfolk, leaving school at the age of sixteen to join an aircraft company. He developed engineering skills at school and in industry.

Career

After leaving school, Baynes started work in the fledgling aircraft industry with

Airco The Aircraft Manufacturing Company Limited (Airco) was an early United Kingdom, British aircraft manufacturer. Established during 1912, it grew rapidly during the First World War, referring to itself as the largest aircraft company in the wor ...

(The Aircraft Manufacturing Company) at

Hendon Aerodrome Hendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in London, England, that was an important centre for aviation from 1908 to 1968. It was situated in Colindale, north west of Charing Cross. It nearly became a central hub of civil aviation ("the Charing Cros ...

. From there, he moved on to

Short Brothers Short Brothers plc, usually referred to as Shorts or Short, is an aerospace company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Shorts was founded in 1908 in London, and was the first company in the world to make production aeroplanes. It was particu ...

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

, where he redesigned the

Short Singapore The Short Singapore was a British multi-engined biplane flying boat built after the First World War. The design was developed into two four-engined versions: the prototype Singapore II and production Singapore III. The latter became the Royal ...

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...

. In 1930, Baynes designed the ''Scud'' light sailplane, built at first by Brant Aircraft Limited at

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

. The Scud was successful, and in 1931, Baynes went into partnership with E.D. Abbott as

Abbott-Baynes Sailplanes Ltd Abbott-Baynes Sailplanes Ltd. was a 1930s glider manufacturing company based at Wrecclesham, near Farnham, Surrey. It was founded as a subsidiary of E. D. Abbott Ltd in 1931 by L. E. Baynes and E. D. Abbott to build the Scud A Scud missil ...

, of

Farnham Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...

, Surrey, to build Scud 1 sailplanes, and later the Scud 2 (1932). In 1935, a ''Scud II'' flown by

Mungo Buxton Mungo may refer to: People * Mungo (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Mungo people, an ethnic group in Cameroon Places * Mungo, Angola, a town and municipality * Mungo National Park, Australia * Lake Mungo, Australia * M ...

took the British Height Record for a glider to 8,750 feet (2,666 m). In 1935,

Sir John Carden Sir John Valentine Carden, 6th Baronet MBE (6 February 1892 – 10 December 1935) was an English tank and vehicle designer. He was the sixth baronet of Templemore, County Tipperary, from 1931. Work Born in London, Carden was a talented, self- ...

, an authority on tank design who was interested in gliding, outlined to Baynes his requirements for a self-launching sailplane. Baynes designed the ''Scud III'' sailplane, built by Abbott-Baynes Sailplanes, which when fitted with an engine was called the

Carden-Baynes Auxiliary The Carden-Baynes Auxiliary was the first motor glider with a retractable engine and propeller; it is known as the Abbott-Baynes Scud 3 when engineless. Both aircraft, built in the mid-1930s, were still flying in 2010 as pure sailplanes. Deve ...

. That carried a retractable 249 cc Villiers engine mounted on top of the fuselage. The engine drove a pusher-propeller and produced 9 bhp, and the capacity of the fuel tank was enough to run the engine for thirty minutes. The 249 cc Auxiliary is believed to be the lowest-powered aircraft in the history of powered flight. Also in 1935, the

Mignet HM.14 The Mignet HM.14 ''Flying Flea'' (''Pou du Ciel'' literally "Louse of the Sky" in French) is a single-seat light aircraft first flown in 1933, designed for amateur construction. It was the first of a family of aircraft collectively known as Flyi ...

''Pou du Ciel'' "Flying Flea" built and flown by

Stephen Appleby Stephen Villiers Appleby (9 February 1912 – 1984) was an English pilot and a leading proponent of the Mignet Pou-du-Ciel "Flying Flea" aircraft. Early years Stephen Appleby was born in London on 9 February 1912, the son of Swedish-French pare ...

, was rebuilt by Abbott-Baynes Sailplanes, incorporating modifications designed by Baynes, who had witnessed its forced landing at

Heston Aerodrome Heston Aerodrome was an airfield located to the west of London, England, operational between 1929 and 1947. It was situated on the border of the Heston and Cranford areas of Hounslow, Middlesex. In September 1938, the British Prime Minister, Ne ...

. The success of the

Flying Flea The Flying Flea (french: Pou du Ciel, lit=Louse of the Sky) is a large family of light homebuilt aircraft first flown in 1933. The odd name comes from the French nickname for the Ford Model T automobile: ''Pou de la Route'', or "Louse of the Ro ...

family of homebuilt aircraft arose from an English translation of Mignet's book, ''The Flying Flea'' (1935), showing readers how to build their own aircraft at home. Abbott-Baynes Sailplanes Ltd went into limited production of a developed version named the ''Baynes Cantilever Pou''. Following the death of John Carden in December 1935, in April 1936, Baynes set up

Carden-Baynes Aircraft The Carden-Baynes Bee was a 1930s British two-seat aircraft, with twin engines in pusher configuration buried in the wings. The wings rotated for storage. Financial problems limited the Bee to a single flight. Design and development Carden Aer ...

, and designed the

Carden-Baynes Bee The Carden-Baynes Bee was a 1930s British two-seat aircraft, with twin engines in pusher configuration buried in the wings. The wings rotated for storage. Financial problems limited the Bee to a single flight. Design and development Carden Aer ...

, a two-seat wooden aircraft with two Carden-Ford engines in pusher configuration. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Baynes was the aviation adviser to Alan Muntz & Co at Heston Aerodrome, specialists in weapons systems, and he organised an aircraft division of the company. In 1941, he put up a proposal for a detachable wing with a 100-foot wingspan which when attached to a

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

would turn it into a glider. This concept was developed as far as the

Baynes Bat The Baynes Bat (or sometimes Slingsby-Baynes Bat) was an experimental glider of the Second World War, designed by L. E. Baynes. It was used to test the tailless design that he had suggested as a means to convert tanks into temporary gliders ...

prototype, with most of the test flights being piloted by

Flight Lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

Robert Kronfeld Squadron Leader Robert Kronfeld, AFC (5 May 1904 – 12 February 1948) was an Austrian-born gliding champion and sailplane designer of the 1920s and 30s. He became a British subject and an RAF test pilot. He was killed testing a glider in 1948. ...

. Baynes also worked on designs for long-range bombers, and the

V-22 Osprey The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a convention ...

was an American aircraft very similar to a bomber design submitted to the British government by Baynes during the

. After the war, in the 1940s and 1950s, Baynes was busy with research in the area of

variable-sweep A variable-sweep wing, colloquially known as a "swing wing", is an airplane wing, or set of wings, that may be swept back and then returned to its original straight position during flight. It allows the aircraft's shape to be modified in fli ...

supersonic aircraft. In 1949 he applied for a patent on his design for a supersonic

wing and tail fighter. The design was built and wind tunnel test were completed successfully. However, due to budget constraints at the time, the design failed to receive government backing and was later developed in the US. He also designed interiors for airliners, invented the vertical lift plane and the high-speed

hydrofoil A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil technology are also simply termed hydrofoils. As a hydrofoil craft gains sp ...

. L. E. Baynes designed the

Youngman-Baynes High Lift The Youngman-Baynes High Lift was a British experimental aircraft of the 1940s. It was a single-engine, low-wing monoplane with a fixed tailwheel undercarriage. Development The High Lift was a "one-off" experimental, flying test-bed for the ...

Research Aircraft, an experimental flying test-bed for the system of slotted flaps invented by R.T. Youngman. It used components from the

Percival Proctor The Percival Proctor is a British radio trainer and communications aircraft of the Second World War. The Proctor is a single-engined, low-wing monoplane with seating for three or four, depending on the model. Design and development The Proctor ...

, and was built by Heston Aircraft Company Ltd. Test pilot Flight Lieutenant

Ralph S Munday Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

piloted the first flight at Heston Aerodrome on 5 February 1948, carrying the military serial VT789.Meaden (Autumn 2007) A Scud II built in 1935 is still airworthy, and is believed to be the oldest flying glider in the United Kingdom.

Later life

Baynes died at

Swanage Swanage () is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck and one of its two towns, approximately south of Poole and east of Dorchester. In the 2011 census the civil ...

near

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

, Dorset, on 13 March 1989.

Chronology

*1919 patented first automatic variable pitch airscrew, *1924–1927 responsible for aerodynamic design of

Flying-Boat *1929–1930 Designed and manufactured first all-British glider to soar, the Scud I *1933–1935 Scud II sailplanes; British height record holder and international event winner *1935 Designed and built Scud III; first retractable-motored sailplane *1937 Designed Carden-Baynes Bee, first twin-engined pusher monoplane with wing-buried engines *1939 Project-designed gas turbine system 100 passenger long-range aircraft *1938 Designed and patented first V/TOL swivel turbine 'Heliplane' *1939–1945 Designed and built for

Ministry of Supply The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. A separate ministry, however, was responsible for aircr ...

(MoS) experimental tail-less flying wing,

, for tank-carrying project initiated by

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

; Designed and implemented conversion of

Douglas Boston The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American medium bomber, attack aircraft, night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for a bomber, it was or ...

medium bombers to

Turbinlite The Helmore/ GEC Turbinlite was a 2,700 million candela (2.7 Gcd) searchlight fitted in the nose of a number of British Douglas Havoc night fighters during the early part of the Second World War and around the time of The Blitz. The ...

searchlight aircraft, submarine guided missiles and other weapons and equipment for the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

*1946–1948 Designed and built for M.O.S., Youngman-Baynes High-Lift Research Aircraft *1949 Designed and patented the first

fighter aircraft for supersonic flight (swing-wing fighter) *1950–1962 Designed and manufactured airliner equipment for major aircraft companies and airlines *1963–1964 Designed and patented first high-speed

sea craft (made secret by the ministry)

Notes

Bibliography

*Appleby, Stephen. ''On Home-made Wings''. Aeroplane Monthly. March 1982 *Ellis, Ken; Jones, Geoff. 1990. ''Henri Mignet and his Flying Fleas''. Haynes Publishing *Jackson, A.J. (1974). ''British Civil Aircraft since 1919'' Volume 1. Putnam. *Meaden, Jack (Autumn 2007). 'The Heston Aircraft Company Part 7: The Youngman-Baynes Flap'', Air-Britain Archive (journal), p. 2007/111. *Meaden, Jack (Winter 2007). ''The Heston Aircraft Company Part 8: The Scud Gliders'', Air-Britain Archive (journal), p. 2007/151. *Meaden, Jack (Spring 2008). ''The Heston Aircraft Company Part 9: The Baynes Bee'', Air-Britain Archive (journal), p. 2008/009. *Mignet, Henri (1934) ''Le Sport de l'Air'' (in French, 661 pages) *Mignet, Henri; ed: Chamier, John (1935) ''The Flying Flea: How to Build and Fly It''. The Air League (English adaptation of ''Le Sport de l'Air'') *Morse, William. ''Baynes: The Unknown Innovator''. Aeroplane Monthly, June 1992 *Smith, Geoffrey (1942) ''Gas Turbines and Jet Propulsion for Aircraft'' by Geoffrey Smith, 1942 * Chronology: N W E Baynes (baynesnwe@yahoo.co.uk) .. Nigel Baynes

External links

The SCUD Sailplanes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baynes, Leslie 1902 births 1989 deaths People from Barnes, London People educated at Gresham's School English aerospace engineers 20th-century British inventors