Leads in aerodynamics

Here’s a photo from the June 17 1929 edition of the Toronto Daily Star of a young man who was Canada’s first graduate student in the field of aerodynamics.

Beverley Shenstone (1906-1979) suffered a tragedy early in life: his father, Saxon F. Shenstone, died on Christmas Day 1915. He didn’t remain in Toronto for long after this photograph: later in 1929, he landed a job at Junkers, the German plane manufacturers. He then moved to England, where he helped design the elliptical wing that was used on Spitfire aircraft.

During the Second World War, Shenstone moved to the U.S., where he ensured that American airplanes that were being sent to Britain met the Royal Air Force’s specifications. After the war, he worked in Canada briefly before returning to Britain in 1948. He was made a member of Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame in 2016.