10 Facts About Roy Chaplin

Roy Chaplin helped design the Hawker Fury biplane, the Hurricane monoplane, and the Harrier jump jet.

Roy Chaplin graduated with a degree in engineering from London University and retired in the 1960s.

Roy Chaplin was then obliged to repeat his second year at London University, graduating with an honours degree in engineering in 1921.

In 1922, Roy Chaplin started his first job at pump manufacturer Gwynnes of Hammersmith.

In 1926, Roy Chaplin joined Hawker Aircraft at Kingston, when it had fewer than forty design staff.

Roy Chaplin recalled that, in 1933, many Air Ministry diehards believed that the monoplane structure was unsuitable and dangerous for use as a military aircraft.

Ralph Hooper recalled during an interview with Thomas Lean in 2010 that "Sydney Camm used to reduce his secretaries to tears from time to time and Roy Chaplin who was his number two used to come in and cheer them up again".

In 1957, Roy Chaplin became chief designer and in 1959 an executive director on the Hawker Board.

In mid-1961 Roy Chaplin suffered a heart attack; he retired in 1962.

At eighty-seven years old, Roy Chaplin was the oldest of four speakers who had worked on the design of the aircraft.