Frank Irving
Encyclopedia
Frank Irving was a British aeronautical engineer, glider pilot
, author and university Senior Lecturer.
, United Kingdom. He attended St. Edward's College
, and then Liverpool University.
at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire
. In 1945 he completed the course for civilian observers at the Empire Test Pilots School.
He began lecturing in aeronautical engineering at Imperial College London
in 1947 and continued until his retirement. He was Warden of Beit Hall
, a hall of residence for students of Imperial College, from 1950 to 1975.
He eventually became a Senior Lecturer in the field of performance, stability
and control of aircraft. He authored An Introduction to the Longitudinal Static Stability of Low-Speed Aircraft in 1966.
Irving became a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society
in 1946 and was later elected a Fellow of the Society.
. He then flew regularly in national gliding championships.
In 1955 Irving and Lorne Welch
became the first pilots to cross the English Channel
in a two-seat glider
. They launched from Lasham
in Hampshire
, flew to Dover, then across the Channel to Calais
, over Brussels
and landed at Leuven
in Belgium
, a distance of 254 miles (408.8 km), a British record for a two-seat glider.
He was among British glider pilots who explored mountain lee waves to reach heights up to 20000 feet (6,096 m) and higher. By 1962 he had achieved the Gold Badge with two diamonds.
Irving was Chairman of the technical committee of the British Gliding Association
for 25 years. He was also active in the Organisation Scientifique et Technique du Vol à Voile
(OSTIV). He presented twenty-one technical papers at OSTIV congresses. He developed the Irving Tube to provide glider variometer
s with total energy compensation so glider pilots have accurate information about the rise and fall of the air in which they are flying.
He was closely associated with development of the Sigma
, a very-high-performance experimental glider.
Irving was President of the Imperial College Gliding Club from 1969 until 1999 when, at the age of 74, he chose to cease flying solo.
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
, author and university Senior Lecturer.
Early life and education
Francis George Irving was born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, United Kingdom. He attended St. Edward's College
St. Edward's College
St. Edward's College is a voluntary aided, Catholic school in the UK located in the West Derby suburb of Liverpool. The institution was formerly a boys grammar school run by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, known widely as The Irish Christian Brothers...
, and then Liverpool University.
Aeronautics
Irving graduated from Liverpool University in 1944 with a First in Engineering. After graduation, he worked as a civilian flight test observer at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental EstablishmentAeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment
The Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment was a research facility for British military aviation from 1918 to 1992.-History:...
at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. In 1945 he completed the course for civilian observers at the Empire Test Pilots School.
He began lecturing in aeronautical engineering at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
in 1947 and continued until his retirement. He was Warden of Beit Hall
Beit Hall
Beit Hall, otherwise known as the Beit Quadrangle, is one of Imperial College London's oldest and most historic buildings. It is located on Prince Consort Road, next to the Royal Albert Hall and the Natural History Museum in London...
, a hall of residence for students of Imperial College, from 1950 to 1975.
He eventually became a Senior Lecturer in the field of performance, stability
Longitudinal static stability
Longitudinal static stability is the stability of an aircraft in the longitudinal, or pitching, plane during static conditions. This characteristic is important in determining whether an aircraft will be able to fly as intended...
and control of aircraft. He authored An Introduction to the Longitudinal Static Stability of Low-Speed Aircraft in 1966.
Irving became a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a multidisciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community.-Function:...
in 1946 and was later elected a Fellow of the Society.
Gliding
Irving learned to fly gliders with the Imperial College Gliding ClubImperial College Gliding Club
Imperial College Gliding Club is the oldest, and one of the largest, university gliding clubs in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1930, the club was the second club to become affiliated to the British Gliding Association, and has for most of its life flown from Lasham Airfield in Hampshire...
. He then flew regularly in national gliding championships.
In 1955 Irving and Lorne Welch
Lorne Welch
Patrick Palles Lorne Elphinstone Welch, , known as Lorne Welch, was a British engineer, pilot and Colditz prisoner of war....
became the first pilots to cross the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
in a two-seat glider
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
. They launched from Lasham
Lasham
Lasham is a small village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is northwest of Alton, just off the A339 road. The nearest railway station is Alton, southeast of the village....
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, flew to Dover, then across the Channel to Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
, over Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and landed at Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, a distance of 254 miles (408.8 km), a British record for a two-seat glider.
He was among British glider pilots who explored mountain lee waves to reach heights up to 20000 feet (6,096 m) and higher. By 1962 he had achieved the Gold Badge with two diamonds.
Irving was Chairman of the technical committee of the British Gliding Association
British Gliding Association
The British Gliding Association is the governing body for gliding in the United Kingdom. Gliding in the United Kingdom operates through 85 gliding clubs which have 2,310 gliders and 9,462 full flying members , though a further 17,000 people have gliding air-experience flights each year.-History:A...
for 25 years. He was also active in the Organisation Scientifique et Technique du Vol à Voile
Organisation Scientifique et Technique du Vol à Voile
Organisation Scientifique et Technique du Vol à Voile is a body associated with the FAI Gliding Commission . The FAI IGC oversees the sport of gliding worldwide and is a department of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale ....
(OSTIV). He presented twenty-one technical papers at OSTIV congresses. He developed the Irving Tube to provide glider variometer
Variometer
The term variometer also refers to a type of variable transformer or an instrument for measuring the magnitude and direction of a Magnetic field....
s with total energy compensation so glider pilots have accurate information about the rise and fall of the air in which they are flying.
He was closely associated with development of the Sigma
Sigma (sailplane)
-External links:*...
, a very-high-performance experimental glider.
Irving was President of the Imperial College Gliding Club from 1969 until 1999 when, at the age of 74, he chose to cease flying solo.
Publications
- The Soaring Pilot (1955) with AnnAnn WelchAnn Courtenay Welch OBE, née Edmonds, was a pilot who received the Gold Air Medal from Fédération Aéronautique Internationale for her contributions to the development of four air sports - gliding, hang gliding, paragliding and microlight flying.As a child, Ann Welch kept a diary listing every...
and Lorne WelchLorne WelchPatrick Palles Lorne Elphinstone Welch, , known as Lorne Welch, was a British engineer, pilot and Colditz prisoner of war.... - An Introduction to the Longitudinal Static Stability of Low-Speed Aircraft (1966), Franklin Book Co, ISBN 0080107419
- The New Soaring Pilot (1968) with Ann WelchAnn WelchAnn Courtenay Welch OBE, née Edmonds, was a pilot who received the Gold Air Medal from Fédération Aéronautique Internationale for her contributions to the development of four air sports - gliding, hang gliding, paragliding and microlight flying.As a child, Ann Welch kept a diary listing every...
- The Paths of Soaring Flight (1999)