Sir Archibald Russell, 90; Designer of Concorde Airliner
Sir Archibald Russell, designer of the Concorde supersonic airliner, died a day before his 91st birthday, his family said.
Russell, who had been ill with cancer, died in his sleep Monday at his home in western England.
Russell led a team of engineers in the 1960s that produced the supersonic passenger airliner, which can fly at 1,350 m.p.h. Many see the Concorde as the most elegant plane ever built, with its long, pointed nose and streamlined features.
Its creators realized early on that in order for a supersonic plane to carry anything and do much more than fly it would have to be huge.
“The loads were enormous and it had to be a very light structure, and Russell was the foremost structural man in world aviation,” his colleague Barrie Bailey-Watson said. “His great contribution was that he made aircraft lighter without sacrifice of safety.”
He is survived by his second wife, Judith, and two children.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
