Ray Creasey


Raymond Frederick Creasey OBE was a British aerodynamicist with BAC in the 1960s. He was responsible for the aerodynamics of the Lightning interceptor aircraft.

Early life

He was born in north Surrey.

Career

Vickers-Armstrongs

He started at Vickers-Armstrongs.

BAC

He became Chief Aerodynamicist for the P1 project in 1950. He became Chief Project Engineer in 1954. For the aerodynamics for the P1 project, he worked with Dai Ellis, both being hired by Teddy Petter. Teddy Petter left in 1950. On 4 August 1954, the first prototype WG760 first flew. One week later it went supersonic on its third flight.
He became Director of Engineering at BAC.

Personal life

He married Lily Parker in north-west Surrey. They had a daughter in 1948. His granddaughter was born in October 1979 and his grandson in 1983; his granddaughter is a psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, who attended Whitburn Church of England Academy. He died aged 54 in Blackpool and Fylde in September 1976, not living to see BAC become British Aerospace the following year. He lived in Lytham St Annes.
He became an OBE in the 1968 New Year Honours. In 1970 he became a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.