W. E. W. Petter
| W. E. W. (Teddy) Petter | |
|---|---|
| Born |
8 August 1908 Highgate, north London |
| Died | 1 May 1968 (aged 59) Béruges, France |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Spouse(s) | Claude Marguerite Juliette Munier |
| Children | 3 daughters |
| Parent(s) | Sir Ernest Willoughby Petter |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Aeronautics |
| Employer(s) | Westland Aircraft, English Electric, Folland Aircraft |
| Significant design | Westland Lysander, Folland Gnat |
| Significant advance | Canberra, Lightning |
| Awards | John Bernard Seely Prize for Aeronautics Fellow of the RAeS (1944) RAeS silver medal (1950) CBE (1951) |
William Edward Willoughby "Teddy" Petter CBE FRAeS (8 August 1908, Highgate in Middlesex – 1 May 1968, Béruges) was a British aircraft designer. He is noted for Westland's wartime aeroplanes, the Canberra, the early design of the Lightning, and his last plane, the Folland Gnat.
Edward 'Teddy' Petter was the eldest of the three sons and one daughter of Sir Ernest Petter (co-founder of Westland Aircraft Works) and his wife, Angela Emma. Because his father spent much time in London, Teddy's early childhood was spent mostly with his mother, from whom he inherited a strong religious conviction and firm ethical principles. He was educated at Marlborough College in Wiltshire then Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. During his first two years at Cambridge he focused his studies on subjects relevant to oil engines, the traditional product of Petters Limited, but in his third year he concentrated on aerodynamics and aircraft engineering. In 1929 he was awarded a first class in the mechanical sciences tripos and shared the John Bernard Seely prize in aeronautics.
Petter joined Westland Aircraft Works as a graduate apprentice in 1929 and for the next 2 1/2 years he worked in every department, not seeking any favour despite being the chairman's son. In the drawing office it was noted that he was a very poor draftsman but had good ideas. Years later he said "I looked on this as sheer drudgery at the time, but knew afterwards that without workshop knowledge I would never have become a designer".
In May 1932 he was appointed personal assistant to the managing director, Robert Bruce, a position previously held by Petter's friend and colleague Harald Penrose. Bruce did not welcome the appointment and ignored him, leaving Petter spare time to modify and compete an Austin 7. Despite his interest in sports cars, Petter had no interest in learning to fly. Penrose gave him a flying lesson at this time, but later commented that Petter had a 'lack of the requisite sensitivity coupled with hopeless judgment of speed and distance'.
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