Not Much Of An Engineer:- An Autobiography

Product Information

In 1984, therefore, his autobiography was published, entitled, Not Much of an Engineer, referring to a quip that Hives had made upon seeing his qualifications (Hooker was a mathematician by training) during Hooker's job interview.

There was Büsemann in Germany, who went to the USA after World War II, Ackeret in Zurich, who evolved the first simple theory of the effect on the lift and drag of a wing, and there was G. After a few days spent reading The Times, Hooker timidly ventured into surrounding work spaces, where young men were hard at work over drawing boards.A very bright mathematician ends up being a world class jet engineer af the forefront of developing a number of iconic jet engines incliding the engines for the Harrier Jet, the Avro Vulcan and the Concorde. They didn't know what to do with him, never having had such and esoteric person working there before. Lots of historical detail on the development of the Merlin engine as well as early tubojets and turbofans that you probably will not get elsewhere. For this role, he produced his first completely original design, the Orpheus, which went on to power the Fiat G91 and other light fighters.

Thus, Hives to Spencer Wilkes, “ Hooker, here, seems to get on very well with Whittle, and knows all about his jet engine.Hooker also worked on finishing the Olympus, developing later versions that would be used on the Avro Vulcan and Concorde and a further development for the stillborn TSR2. Thoroughly enjoyed this book (what a career this man had) and wouldn’t dream of leaving a negative review. But before that he managed to upgrade the power of the the Rolls Royce Merlin, the heart of the Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito and more, by a number of redesigns to the supercharger.

As technical director, he provided the expertise, drive and energy to lead and inspire the team, including drawing in old colleagues (some long retired), to rectify the problems and soon the RB. If there is an issue it is not one of Hookers personal modesty or not - although he certainly comes across as being very reasonable - it is his naiveté with regard to the Chinese. to a potential Mach 2, and despite the plane’s controversial cancellation, the way to Concorde was clear. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Hooker was made responsible for technical supervision of the four gas turbine divisions and was leading a Rolls-Royce effort to improve both power and fuel consumption of the engine.From here, Hooker’s writing becomes increasingly technical, but, although your reviewer remains deeply ashamed of his best showing of 47% in a mathematics examination, Hooker is able to convey concepts and theories to the reviewer. Frameworks allow a Frameworker to build software products in a way similar to how IKEA allows me to build shelving units. and I began vaguely to think of an academic career as a lecturer and, hopefully, later as a professor. The Merlin 45 was fitted into the Spitfire Mk V in October 1940, which was produced in the greatest number of any Spitfire variant. He certainly led an interesting life, knew some influential people, and accomplished some cool things.

I was, however, quite interested in physics and mathematics, and in the examinations at the end of each year usually managed to acquire the prize awarded jointly for these subjects. It was Levy who introduced me to the Kármán Vortex Street, which is the series of eddies which are shed alternately from each side of a body moving through a fluid such as air or water. Design work on what became the Olympus had started in 1946, and by 1950 it was developing 10,000 lb thrust, with the help of its low and high pressure spools, able to provide immediate maximum thrust without fear of compressor stalling. The book opens with a graphic description of “ a damp, cold day in January 1938” when he walked along Nightingale Road toward the Rolls-Royce works in Derby. The interview seemed to go well, but two months passed before a letter arrived from Ernest Hives, which “ requested my presence at Derby for an interview with Hs [Company parlance for Hives, 1886-1965].In 1970, he retired fully, and was upset that after almost 30 years in the industry, he had never become director of engine development. This man made a great contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany, his innovative work with superchargers increasing the power of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine by 100%; had a great deal to do with the vectored thrust turbofan engine that powered the Hawker Harrier Jump-jet; Concorde; was brought back from retirement to help sort out the problems of the RB211 engines that had sent Rolls-Royce into bankruptcy in early 1971; and rubbed shoulders with the men whose careers had been molded by their work with Henry Royce. Cloth "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. There is an oblique reference to his stay in hospital in 1982, and his book was “ assisted by Bill Gunston” (1927–2013) an eminent aviation author and historian. That time turned out to be particularly productive, as he contemplated the future varying roles of gas turbines, and options tangible and less so, for exponentially expanded range and efficiency.