Beatrice Shilling

Born on 8 March 1909 in Hampshire, UK, Beatrice “Tilly” Shilling was one of the first female aeronautical engineers. Shilling developed an interest in all things mechanical at an early age and bought her first motorcycle when she was 14. In 1926 she went to work as an apprentice for an electrical engineering company run by Margaret Partridge, one of the founding members of the Women’s Engineering Society. With the society’s help, Shilling became one of the first two women to study engineering at the University of Manchester, earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1932 and a master’s in mechanical engineering in 1933. She also took up motorcycle racing with the university club and in 1934 started racing at the Brooklands track in Surrey, the world’s first racing circuit. That same year, Shilling became one of only three women to earn the Brooklands Gold Star for lapping the circuit at over 100 mph.

In 1936 Shilling was recruited to the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), the R&D agency of the Royal Air Force, where she worked until her retirement in 1969. Her specialty was aircraft carburetors. It was during World War II that she created the device for which she became best known: the RAE restrictor, a small metal disk with a hole in the middle. Its purpose was to resolve a serious problem with Spitfire and Hurricane fighter aircraft, which tended to stall out when they went into a nosedive. The device limited fuel flow and prevented the engine from flooding. In recognition of her contribution to the war effort, Shilling received the Order of the British Empire in 1947. She continued to work for the RAE after the war, on such projects as solid-fuel rockets and aircraft braking on wet runways. In 1969 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Surrey. She died in 1990 at age 81. (Photo credit: Royal Air Force)

Date in History: 8 March 1909