Beatrice Shilling | |
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| Born | 8 March 1909 Waterlooville, Hampshire, England |
| Died | 18 November 1990 (aged 81) |
| Occupation | Aeronautical engineer |
| Known for | |
| Awards | Officer of the Order of the British Empire (1949) |
Beatrice Shilling OBE (known as Tilly) (8 March 1909 – 18 November 1990)[1] was a British aeronautical engineer, motorcycle racer and sports car racer. In 1949, Shilling was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
During the Second World War Shilling designed the RAE Restrictor (which became known as Miss Shilling's orifice), a simple device that overcame the problem of the Rolls-Royce Merlin aeroplane engines losing power during negative-g manoeuvres. After the war, Shilling also worked on the Blue Streak missile, researched the effect of a wet runway upon braking, and helped design and build a bobsled for the Royal Air Force's Olympic team.
As a motorcycle racer Shilling was one of only three women to receive the British Motorcycle Racing Club Gold Star for lapping the Brooklands circuit at over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) on a motorcycle. In sports car racing, she scored several podium finishes at the Goodwood Circuit Members' Meetings.
- ^ Haines, Catharine M. C. (2001). International Women in Science: A Biographical Dictionary to 1950. ABC-CLIO. pp. 288. ISBN 1576070905.