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The engineer Beatrice Shilling eased a dangerous fault in the engines of Britain's Spitfire and Hurricane fighters. When a pilot pushed the nose down sharply, fuel flooded the carburettor and the engine could cut out. Her small restrictor, a disc with a hole that limited the flow of fuel, kept it running.

Historical account — Royal Air Force Museum

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Shilling earned an engineering degree at the Victoria University of Manchester in 1932, followed by a master's in mechanical engineering, when very few women studied the subject, and joined the Royal Aircraft Establishment in 1936. The fault, known as negative-g cut-out, gave German fighters with fuel-injected engines an advantage in dives. Her restrictor reached RAF squadrons in 1941 and was nicknamed 'Miss Shilling's orifice'; it served until better carburettors arrived. She also raced motorcycles: in 1934 she lapped the Brooklands circuit at an average of 101.85 mph (163.9 km/h) on her Norton, only the second woman to earn a Gold Star for lapping it at over 100 mph.

Türkçe oku
Mühendis Beatrice Shilling, İngiliz Spitfire ve Hurricane avcı uçaklarının motorlarındaki tehlikeli bir arızayı hafifletti. Pilot burnu aniden aşağı bastırdığında karbüratöre fazla yakıt doluyor ve motor durabiliyordu. Shilling'in yakıt akışını sınırlayan delikli küçük diski, motorun çalışmaya devam etmesini sağladı.

Shilling 1932'de Victoria Manchester Üniversitesi'nde mühendislik lisansını, bir yıl sonra da makine mühendisliğinde yüksek lisansını tamamladı; o yıllarda bu alanı okuyan kadın sayısı çok azdı. 1936'da Kraliyet Havacılık Kurumu'na (Royal Aircraft Establishment) katıldı. “Negatif g kesilmesi” denen bu arıza, yakıt enjeksiyonlu motorları olan Alman avcı uçaklarına dalışlarda üstünlük sağlıyordu. Shilling'in parçası 1941'de Kraliyet Hava Kuvvetleri'nin filolarına ulaştı ve “Miss Shilling'in deliği” diye anıldı; daha iyi karbüratörler gelene kadar kullanıldı. Shilling motosiklet yarışlarına da katıldı: 1934'te Norton motosikletiyle Brooklands pistinde saatte ortalama 163,9 kilometre (101,85 mil) hızla tur attı ve saatte 100 milin üzerinde tur attığı için Altın Yıldız alan ikinci kadın oldu.

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