John Fozard | |
|---|---|
| Born | John William Fozard 16 January 1928 Liversedge,West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 17 July 1996 (1996-07-18) (aged 68) Alexandria, Virginia, United States |
| Education | Hull Municipal Technical College, Cranfield University |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Ward, Gloria Roberts |
| Children | 2 |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Aeronautics |
| Institutions | RAeS |
| Employer(s) | Hawker Siddeley |
| Significant design | Hawker Siddeley Harrier |
| Significant advance | British Aerospace Sea Harrier |
| Awards | British Silver Medal for Aeronautics (1977) James Clayton Prize, IMechE (1983) Mullard Award (1983, withRalph Hooper) |
John William Fozard (16 January 1928 – 17 July 1996) was a British aeronautical engineer who helped to design theHawker Siddeley Harrier.
John Fozard was born on 16 January 1928 at 21 Holme Street,Liversedge,West Riding of Yorkshire, the son of John Fozard and Eleanor Paulkitt. He was brought up on the Firthcliffe estate in the same town. He grew up in austerity because his father was unemployed due to spinal injuries and only his maternal grandmother was in full-time employment.[1]: 194
He passed the selection forHeckmondwike Grammar School in the West Riding of Yorkshire, where he excelled academically.[2][1]: 194 In 1942 (aged 14) he joined theAir Training Corps and with them visited RAF stations, where he flew inLancaster andHalifax bombers.[1]: 195
Fozard's headmaster arranged for interviews withAvro inYeadon andBlackburn Aircraft inLeeds. Blackburn offered him an apprenticeship that allowed him to study for an engineering degree. In June 1946 he was awarded a London University Intermediate degree. At this time Blackburn transferred Fozard to their Brough site, which allowed to continue his studies full-time at Hull municipal technical college, funded by a West Riding Council scholarship. In July 1948 he was awarded a B.Sc with first class honours in aeronautical engineering.[1]: 195 An extension of his scholarship allowed him to undertake two years postgraduate studies atCollege of Aeronautics, Cranfield underProf Sir Robert Lickley where he gained a DCAe (Diploma in Aeronautics) in 1950.[1]: 195
Fozard would later tell American visitors at the Hawker plant on Lower Ham Road next to theRiver Thames atKingston upon Thames that Yorkshire was the Texas of the UK.[citation needed]
He worked for Hawker Siddeley from 1950, working underSydney Camm. In the late 1950s he was working on the supersonic successor to the company'sHawker Hunter, theP.1121, and the twin-seat P.1129. Although advanced designs for their time, these projects were cancelled by the infamous1957 Defence White Paper, and Hawker concentrated all work on theP.1127, which had been considered less important up to that point.
From October 1963 he was Chief Designer of theP.1154, which was cancelled in February 1965 (with theBAC TSR-2). He was Chief Designer of the Harrier from 1965 to 1978, taking over fromRalph Hooper. The Harrier entered service with the RAF (atRAF Wittering) in August 1969. The first Sea Harrier (XZ451 – FRS.1) was handed to theRoyal Navy'sFleet Air Arm on 18 June 1979, at a ceremony atBAe Dunsfold (the site had been owned by Hawker Siddeley from 1950), later to be based atRNAS Yeovilton. This version of the Harrier had been given the definitive go-ahead (funding) on 15 May 1975 byRoy Mason, the Barnsley-born Defence Secretary, after being met with government indifference previously.
ThePegasus engine, which was integral to the aircraft design, was designed byGordon Lewis and SirStanley Hooker.
From 1984–7 he was Divisional Director of Special Projects at the Military Aircraft Division ofBritish Aerospace, Weybridge. In February 1989 he retired from BAe. He later became the Director of theNational Air and Space Museum, and held theCharles A. Lindbergh Chair in Aerospace History, from 1988–9.
He was elected aFellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS) in 1963. From 1986 to 1987, he was the President of theRoyal Aeronautical Society. He was elected aFellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1987.[1]
Fozard married Mary Ward in 1951, but they divorced in 1985. They had two sons. He later married Gloria Roberts in 1985, and they lived inAlexandria, Virginia.
He was awarded the OBE in 1981. He died fromliver failure, aged 68.
John Fozard was the most capable chief designer I have ever known. He was brilliant but he was a Yorkshire man. He'd got an ego five times the size of the county...
— John Farley[3]
| Professional and academic associations | ||
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| Preceded by Thomas Kerr CB | President of theRoyal Aeronautical Society 1986–1987 | Succeeded by ProfJohn Stollery |
| International | |
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| Other | |
