Aerodynamics at the National Physical Laboratory: Mr. A. Fage, F.R.S

Abstract

MR. A. FAGE, a principal scientific officer of the Aerodynamics Division of the National Physical Laboratory, has been appointed superintendent of the Division in succession to Mr. E. F. Relf, who has held this post for the last twenty years. Mr. Fage began his career in Portsmouth Dockyard, won a scholarship to the Royal College of Science where he obtained his associateship and the diploma of the Imperial College, and then joined the staff of the National Physical Laboratory. It is interesting to note that his early career is thus almost identical with that of his predecessor. In his early days at the Laboratory, he took part in most kinds of aerodynamic work, but later he specialized in research on airscrews and was soon recognized as an authority on this subject. He then took up fundamental work on fluid motion, and it is in this subject that he has established an international reputation. Among many original investigations may be mentioned his detailed study of the flow around an aerofoil of finite aspect ratio and his masterly experiments on the distribution of skin friction along the chord of an aerofoil, which provided a basis for the understanding of aerofoil drag that is still of great value and appears to be unique in experimental aerodynamics. His adaptation of the principle of the ultramicroscope to the study of turbulent airflow provides another striking example of his versatility and skill as an experimenter. In a number of lesser investigations Mr. Fage has contributed notably to aerodynamic knowledge ; among these may be mentioned his study of the effect of turbulence on the reading of a static pressure tube, and his critical analysis of the use of flight-test observations to determine engine-power at great altitudes.