Richard Milroy Clarkson OBE FCGI FRAeS (14 July 1904 – 7 October 1996) was a British aeronautical engineer with
de Havilland, then
Hawker Siddeley. He led the design of the
HS121 Trident wing, certain features of which were subsequently used for the
Airbus A300
The Airbus A300 is a wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Airbus.
In September 1967, aircraft manufacturers in the United Kingdom, France, and West Germany signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a large airliner.
West ...
wing in the late 1960s.
Early life
He attended
Clayesmore School
Clayesmore School is an independent school for boys and girls, aged 2 – 18 years, in the village of Iwerne Minster, Dorset, England. It is both a day and boarding school and is a member of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (H ...
in Dorset.
Career
de Havilland
He joined de Havilland at Edgware in 1925.
He was responsible for the aerodynamics of the
de Havilland Mosquito. The first Mosquito ''W4050'' flew in November 1940. He became Head of Aerodynamics in 1935, and Assistant Chief Engineer in 1941.
Hawker Siddeley Aviation
He was responsible for the aerodynamics of the DH.121 Trident and his team later designed the wing for the Airbus A300.
He retired in February 1969.
Personal life
He married Sylvia Paice in 1940, and they had one daughter. He received the OBE in the
1950 New Year Honours. In April 1964 he became a Fellow of City and Guilds. He received the Gold Medal of the
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows, ...
in 1966. From the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
he received the
Mullard Award
The Mullard Award is awarded annually by the Royal Society to a person who has "an outstanding academic record in any field of natural science, engineering or technology and whose contribution is currently making or has the potential to make ...
in 1969 for his work on the Trident.
He died in Somerset in 1996.
Independent obituary
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See also
* A. H. Tiltman, another de Havilland designer
* Tim Wilkins OBE, Chief Designer for de Havilland
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarkson, Richard
1904 births
1996 deaths
Aerodynamicists
De Havilland
De Havilland Mosquito
English aerospace engineers
Fellows of the Royal Aeronautical Society
Hawker Siddeley
People educated at Clayesmore School
Royal Aeronautical Society Gold Medal winners