Roy Ewans

John Roy Ewans
Born	1917-12-21 Torquay, England
Died	2012-01-22
Occupation(s)	Aerodynamicist, Chief Designer
Years active	1949–1982
Known for	Chief Designer of Avro Vulcan B2 and Avro 748
Notable work	Avro Vulcan B2, Avro 748 (Hawker Siddeley HS 748)

John Roy Ewans FRAeS (21 December 1917 – 22 January 2012) was a distinguished British aerodynamicist who served as the chief designer for the Manchester-based aviation firm Avro.

Early life

Born in Torquay, Ewans pursued his studies at Imperial College London, where he earned a First-Class degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1938. He subsequently completed a postgraduate diploma specializing in Aeronautical Engineering.

File:Avro Vulcan at Mildenhall (1989).jpg

Vulcan in 1989

Operation Surgeon

Following the conclusion of the Second World War, Ewans was assigned to the Sixth United States Army Group to assist in locating German experts in aeronautics.

Avro

Ewans began his tenure at Avro's Manchester facility in Chadderton in 1949. By October of that year, he had been appointed Chief Aerodynamicist. He advanced to deputy Chief Designer in May 1955 and shortly thereafter, in July 1955, assumed the role of Chief Designer, overseeing the development of the Avro Vulcan B2.

During his time with Avro, Ewans also led the design of the Avro 748, later known as the Hawker Siddeley HS 748, a model that saw production exceeding 400 units.

In the early 1960s, Ewans was involved with projects on the proposed Avro 761 airliner, which was an evolution of the earlier proposed Avro 771 airliner; however, neither aircraft entered production.

File:Avro Vulcan tail configuration silhouettes.png

Tail configurations of the Vulcan

BAC

In June 1961, Ewans transitioned to BAC, where he remained based at Weybridge (the former Vickers) facility in Surrey until 1967.

File:Avro Vulcan B.2 three-view silhouette.png

Avro Vulcan B2

Personal life

Ewans married Enid Frayn, a mathematician by profession. Together they had four children—three sons and one daughter—and were grandparents to seven grandchildren. He was honored as a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1957.

After retiring in 1982, Ewans relocated to coastal St Mawes in southern Cornwall. His leisure interests included sailing and yacht ownership. In 1999, he suffered a stroke. His wife passed away in 2005. Ewans himself died in 2012 at the age of 94.

External links

• Telegraph obituary March 2012

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