Beatrice Shilling

British engineer who solved a critical WWII aircraft flaw and broke gender barriers in aviation technology.

Beatrice Shilling (1909-1990), a motorcycle racer turned aeronautical engineer, made one of World War II's most crucial technological breakthroughs. While working at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, she invented the 'RAE restrictor' - a brass thimble device that prevented Spitfire and Hurricane engines from cutting out during negative-G maneuvers.

Her solution, implemented in 1941, gave British pilots a decisive advantage in the Battle of Britain. Despite era's gender barriers, Shilling became an OBE-honored authority on jet engines. Colleagues remembered her testing motorcycle prototypes at 100mph while wearing her signature leather racing suit under lab overalls. Her legacy persists in modern fuel injection systems.