Engineering graduate, Miss Beatrice Schilling, whose invention of the fuel-line restrictor prevented carburettors of Rolls-Royce Merlin-engined fighters like the Spitfire and the Hurricane cutting out in dogfights during the Battle of Britain.

14 comments

1. >In a 2011 review of her biography, reviewer Graham White noted that while sexism undoubtedly did hold a large influence over her frustrations, he agreed with a previous author’s assertion that her not conforming to professional dress standards that would be expected of a white collar professional in Britain at this time likely did hurt her chances of advancement as “in fact she looked pretty awful”

   Lmao the humanity 

2. Great picture, she looks like a boss!

3. Strong picture, that.

4. It was a well known flaw of the Merlin engine and German pilots were trained to use it against the RAF, using turns that pulled negative G which the early spitfires couldn’t follow without their engine cutting out.

   Just imagine being the first Luftwaffe pilot to try that after the upgrade.

   “Haha, Tommy will never be able to follow me through THIS maneuver- Oh scheisse!”

5. “Miss Schilling’s orifice” was the nickname given to it.

6. Known as ‘Tilly’, she’s a local icon in my hometown of Farnborough.

7. You missed the best bit, they referred to it as “Miss Shilling’s orifice”

8. o7 Bea, cheers for that 🙂

9. She was an amazing woman. Great article about her here https://www.damninteresting.com/how-miss-shillings-orifice-helped-win-the-war/

10. Miss Shilling’s Orafice !

11. r/oldschoolcool

12. Wot? It wasn’t invented by Detective Murdoch?!

13. i think in the film Battle of britain, you can see a spitfire actually do this and the engine stops (momentarily).

    Its either during a barrel or aileron roll (doing a display not in a combat scene

14. All that engineering skill but can’t even open a single bolt to sort out the handlebars.