David Gordon Wilson facts for kids
David Gordon Wilson (born February 11, 1928 – died May 2, 2019) was a smart engineer from Britain. He became a professor at the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. He was known for his work on gas turbines and for helping to start the modern recumbent bicycle movement.
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Early Life and Career
David Gordon Wilson was born in Warwickshire, England. In 1955, he moved to the US for a special study program. He went back to Britain in 1957 to work with gas turbines. From 1958 to 1960, he taught engineering in Nigeria.
In 1961, he moved to the US permanently. He joined the MIT faculty in 1966. There, he taught engineering design. He also wrote two important textbooks about gas turbine design.
Human-Powered Transport
Professor Wilson had a strong interest in human-powered transport. This means vehicles moved only by a person's power, like bicycles. He helped write a book called Bicycling Science.
He is famous for helping to start the modern recumbent bicycle movement in the US. Recumbent bicycles are bikes where the rider sits in a laid-back position. This is different from a regular upright bike. He worked with another expert, Chester Kyle, on this.
The Avatar 2000 Bicycle
In 1980, Wilson and Richard Forrestall created a special recumbent bicycle. They called it the Avatar 2000. Two years later, in 1982, a rider named Tim Gartside used a version of this bike. It was called the Avatar Bluebell. He set a world record in a US event. He rode 200 meters at 51.9 miles per hour! This was a "flying start" record, meaning he was already moving fast.
Inventions and Ideas
David Wilson held more than 60 patents. A patent is a special right given to an inventor. It means only they can make or sell their invention for a certain time. In 1982, he told a newspaper, "It’s a bit of a pain that all I’m known for is the bike." He wanted people to know about his other inventions too.
He also cared a lot about the environment. In 1973, he suggested an idea like the carbon tax. This is a fee on things that create carbon pollution. He also led a group that wanted to ban smoking in public places.
Wilson TurboPower
In 2001, Professor Wilson and Bruce co-founded a company. It was called Wilson TurboPower. This company worked on two energy technologies from MIT. One was the Wilson Heat Exchanger. The company received $500,000 for this in 2008. The other was the Wilson Microturbine. This was a powerful turbine that could make electricity very efficiently. In 2010, the company changed its name. It became the Wilson Solarpower Corporation. This showed their new focus on solar energy.
David Wilson lived in Winchester, Massachusetts. He lived there with his second wife, Ellen.
Books by David Gordon Wilson
- Bicycling Science (with Theodor Schmidt and others)
- The Design of High-Efficiency Turbomachinery and Gas Turbines (with Theodosios Korakianitis)
- Gas-Turbine Regenerators (with Douglas Beck)
- Born, Blessed and Blitzed in Britain, but Battered by MIT (his memoirs)
