title: Ray Wheeler
text: # Ray Wheeler
  
  Raymond Leslie Wheeler RDI FRAeS FRINA (25 October 1927 – 25 June 2019) was a British engineer who was instrumental in Britain's successful development of rocket launchers and hovercraft.
  
  ## Early life
  
  He was born in Mill Hill, in Middlesex. He attended Newport County Secondary Grammar School (now Carisbrooke College).
  
  From the University College, Southampton he gained a BSc in Engineering in 1948.
  
  ## Career
  
  ### Saunders-Roe
  
  He joined Saunders-Roe in 1945 as an apprentice. He worked on the SR.N1, the first hovercraft. He eventually became Chief Structural Engineer, working on the 300-tonne SR.N4 hovercraft, as Project Engineer.
  
  At Saunders-Roe he worked with Roy Dommett on the Black Arrow rocket programme, where he was the Chief Designer. Although entirely successful, built on a limited budget, the project came to an abrupt end in November 1971, having been cancelled on 29 July 1971.
  
  ### British Hovercraft Corporation
  
  From 1966 to 1985 he was Chief Designer of the British Hovercraft Corporation, and Technical Director from 1972 to 1985.
  
  He became a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1974. In 1995 he became an RDI.
  
  ## Personal life
  
  He married in Southampton in 1950 and has one son (born 1956) and two daughters (born 1952 and 1954). He was a keen field hockey player for the company teams. He lived at East Cowes.
  
  His funeral was at 1pm on Friday 19 July 2019 at East Cowes Methodist Church.
  
  