Archibald Russell facts for kids

Sir Archibald Russell (born May 30, 1904 – died May 29, 1995) was a brilliant British aerospace engineer. He spent most of his career at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Later, when Bristol joined British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) in 1960, he became a managing director. He was also a key person on the committee that created the famous Concorde supersonic jet. Russell designed many important aircraft, including the Blenheim, Britannia, and Type 188. He was known for being a perfectionist throughout his career.

Early Life and First Jobs

Archibald Russell was born in Cinderford, Gloucestershire. He grew up in the Forest of Dean. His father, who was very good at math, was a headmaster at his school, East Dean Grammar School.

When Archibald was fifteen, his family moved to Bristol. He continued his education at Fairfield Grammar School. Then, he studied engineering at Bristol University. His first job was fixing buses for the Bristol Tramways & Carriage Company.

Working at Bristol Aeroplane Company

Russell joined the Bristol Aeroplane Company in May 1925, when he was 21. He started as an assistant in the stress office. There, he met Lorna Mansfield, a secretary, and they were married for over 50 years.

One of his first tasks was calculating stresses for a racing biplane called the Type 99 Badminton. He was very worried when it crashed, but it turned out to be an engine problem. He also worked on the Type 95 Bagshot, a twin-engine fighter. He noticed the wings twisting during a flight, which was dangerous. This problem led him to create a new method for calculating how wings handle stress. This new method helped design stronger, safer wings.

Soon, the Chief Designer, Frank Barnwell, brought Russell into the main design team. Russell helped design the Bulldog, a fighter plane that had more than 500 examples built.

In 1935, Bristol won contracts for two new monoplanes: the Bombay troop-carrier and the Blenheim bomber. The Bombay was designed to be very strong, but it ended up being too heavy and hard to build. Only 50 were made.

The Blenheim was different. It was designed for speed and was much simpler. It could also be easily changed into a light bomber. The Blenheim was very successful, with over 1,000 planes delivered by the start of the Second World War in September 1939.

In 1938, Frank Barnwell died in a plane crash. Leslie Frise became the Chief Designer, and Russell became his deputy. They worked on new versions of the Blenheim, including the Type 152 Beaufort and the Type 156 Beaufighter. More than 5,500 Beaufighters were built during the war.

Becoming Chief Designer

In February 1944, Russell's team started working on a very large transatlantic airliner. This plane, called the Brabazon, was meant to carry 90 passengers across the Atlantic. However, it turned out to be too big and too slow for the changing market. New turboprop and jet engines were being developed, making the Brabazon less appealing. It was eventually scrapped.

While the Brabazon was being built, Russell also started designing a smaller cargo plane. This became the Bristol Freighter in 1945, which was a modest success.

In 1947, Bristol won a competition to design an airliner for routes to places like South Africa and Australia. It was supposed to carry 36 passengers. Russell redesigned it to carry 68 passengers, creating the Britannia. Later, with new engines, it could carry 96 passengers.

The first Britannia flew in August 1952. However, it faced many problems. There were issues with the engines and then a series of crashes involving another plane, the de Havilland Comet, led to new safety rules. All new designs had to be tested in water tanks for metal fatigue. After passing these tests, the Britannia's engines had icing problems, causing more delays. By the time the Britannia finally started flying for airlines in 1957, newer jets like the Boeing 707 were almost ready, which limited interest in the Britannia.

In the late 1950s, Russell also led the design of the Bristol Type 200. This plane was bigger than what British European Airways (BEA) wanted, but it was similar in size to the successful Boeing 727. However, BEA chose another plane, and the Type 200 project was cancelled.

The Concorde Project

In the 1950s, Russell became very interested in supersonic flight, which means flying faster than the speed of sound. He was especially fascinated by the "slender delta wing" design, which helped planes fly well at high speeds.

Russell and his team proposed several designs for a supersonic transport plane, starting with the Type 198 in 1961. They learned that Sud Aviation in France was working on similar ideas. Russell became good friends with Louis Giusta, his French counterpart. This friendship helped bring the British and French teams together to create the Concorde project.

Russell became a joint chairman of the Concorde Executive Committee of Directors from 1965 to 1969. He was also vice-chairman of the BAC-Sud Aviation Concorde Committee from 1969 to 1970.

Russell received many awards for his work. He won the RAeS British Gold Medal in 1951. He was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1954, a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1970, and was knighted in 1972.

Archibald Russell had one son and one daughter with his first wife, Lorna, who passed away in 1984. He married Judy Humphrey in 1986. Sir Archibald Russell died in Angarrack, Cornwall, on May 29, 1995, just one day before his 91st birthday.