Barry Pemberton Laight (12 July 1920 – 6 October 2012) was a British aerospace engineer, known for his design of the Spey-engined Buccaneer, one of the last all-British military aircraft, which left RAF service in March 1994.
Early life
He was the son of Donald Laight and Nora Pemberton, and was born in Liverpool. His father was a mechanic in the Royal Flying Corps.
He became Chief Engineer at the Hawker division of Hawker Siddeley (Advanced Projects Group) in 1963, and Director for Military Projects of HSA in 1968. At Hawker Siddeley he worked with Ralph Hooper on development of the Harrier for the RAF, and the development of the Hawk for the RAF too. He worked on the proposed Hawker Siddeley P.1154, which was cancelled in February 1965.[1]
Personal life
He married Ruth Murton in 1951. They had a son and daughter. He became a member of Mensa in 1945. He was given the Silver Medal of the RAeS in 1963. He became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1981.
He lived in West Ella near Hull before retiring to Esher.