Not Much of an Engineer: An Autobiography

by Stanley Hooker

Stanley Hooker joined the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1949 and tugged a rather reluctant company into the jet age, determined to give real competition to Rolls-Royce. So successful was he that in 1966 Rolls-Royce decided the best thing to do was to spend 63.6 million pounds and buy its rival. By this time there was scarcely a single modern British aero-engine for which Hooker had not been responsible.

Genres: Engineering, History, Biography, Aviation, Nonfiction, Technology, Business

255 pages, Paperback

First published May 24, 1984

Reviews

[Geoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story, what a life. A very bright mathematician ends up being a world class jet engineer af the forefront of developing a number of iconic jet engines incliding the engines for the Harrier Jet, the Avro Vulcan and the Concorde. But before that he managed to upgrade the power of the the Rolls Royce Merlin, the heart of the Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito and more, by a number of redesigns to the supercharger.
For those really mathematically inclined he also includes a lot of formulate he developed.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating content about the amazing developments in gas turbine technology, however writing is pedestrian

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I realy enjoyed this book. It is an easy read and gives you insights you wouldn't get anywhere else.
What I also like is that in this age where everyone snipes at everyone else, and bad mouthing people is 'ok', Stanley Hooker doesn't have a bad word to say about anyone... Well, except Ceausescu, but then again, who does. His descriptions of the British trade missions beggar belief!
I heartily recommend.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, not much of a writer either. I wanted to like this book, but it just failed to grip me and I suppose it must come down to the writing in the end. Nevil Shute could make his trade spring into life from the page, but not this bloke. The early pages spring from such a different era, and the man himself seems still to be steeped in it, with that typical English middle class reserve and understatement. "Frank Whittle was an outstanding engineer, but I managed to hone some of the features of his design to increase the engine's performance." Yes, okay, but this would be so much better written as "Frank Whittle was a tosser who missed some basic design features due to his inability to listen to anyone but himself. I could have improved them half pissed, which generally I was at the time, because in those days you were at the pub every lunchtime and evening, driving home three sheets to the wind to give the wife one over the kitchen table dinner. Maybe that's why she divorced me, but in those days you had secretaries."

[John Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight to Rolls-Royce, Bristol Aero Engines and the period of significant engineering change.

An interesting insight to the upper echelons of Rolls-Royce during extraordinary times. I feel that Sir Stanley was perhaps somewhat glib about the harsh realities of the changes, viewing the past with rose-tinted glasses. However his insight is truly unique and the perspective he was privileged too was wonderful to read. If you have an interest in Rolls-Royce & Bristol Siddely Aero engines this is well worth the read.

[Tung Truong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an engineer in the machine field and my major at university was Mechatronics engineering. When I see the title not much of an engineer, I didn't understand what the book want to talk about and when I read this book I understand a little bit.
This book I chose because I saw it was recommended by Elon Musk - one of the very great engineer in the world. Mr. Stanley Hooker was major in mathematic and when he graduate at Oxbridge he was envious with his friend when his friend with the major in machine (mechanical - I don't remember exactly). But like the title said, he was not just an engineer, from a theoretical mathematician (not a experimenter) he grow and develop himself to become a leader in the group of engineers and also learn something that extremely get a lot of innovations in the era. His innovations help his company so much. Also I think this book should be read twice. I will give a comprehensive review about this book later.

[John Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read. Hooker has an amazing story to tell and he tells it well. This is a history book as well as a novel. A fair bit of easily understood technical information but always fascinating. A lesson in management as well as engineering, it tells of engine development from the WW2 Merlin to the first gas turbines, then on to the Concorde's Olympus, the Pegasus of the Harrier and the engine that very nearly scuppered Rolls-Royce, the RB211, as well as many more from both Rolls Royce and Bristol and all told with anecdotal experiences of a most interesting life. I loved it.

[Mircah Foxwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not read it to the end. It is a personal memoir, and as such tends to be a bit rambling at times, like reading someone's diary. He certainly led an interesting life, knew some influential people, and accomplished some cool things. His personality comes across strongly in the book. But I found myself wishing I could edit the story to make it more relevant to a greater audience.

[Andrew Ming Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book and a good insight into the "other side" of the Rolls Royce / Whittle jet story.
One thing I did like about this book is that Mr Hooker does not have a bad word to say about any of the people he talks about (asside from Nicolae Ceaușescu).
It can be a bit slow at times, but as autobiographies go it is one of the better ones and I have read an awful lot worse!

[Peter Timson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, if you write your own biography, your bound to come out well. That said, this is a very readable book and tells an extremely interesting story. For anyone interested in this field it's worth finding a copy.

[Trevor Ambrico · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autobiography of an interesting man. Lots of historical detail on the development of the Merlin engine as well as early tubojets and turbofans that you probably will not get elsewhere. I would recommend if you're into aviation history.

[Carol Rodliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting man, he really did so much and his book is well written, of course it may be hard for some people to follow and he may get bad reviews by people who have done nothing in their lives.

[Kalwinder Dhindsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant read. What a genius. What a life. Saw so much in the field of aviation and contributed so much. Amazing.

[Richard Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. If Historical engineering is your thing.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually a re-read. Sir Stanley Hooker and Sir Frank Whittle were the developers of the modern day turbine-jet engine. Hooker started out as an applied mathematician and got a job at Rolls-Royce on the late 1930's. They didn't know what to do with him, never having had such and esoteric person working there before. But he earned his keep early on, adding many horsepower and much performance to the famous Merlin engine which powered the hurricanes, Spitfires, Lancaster and Mosquito bombers amongst others. Hooker visited Frank Whittle, and, much as Steve Jobs saw a vision of the future when he visited Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, saw the future as jet engine powered.
Its a fascinating story of a different time - a young man studying mathematics in the 1930's and of the second World War. Its a story of the incredible development of the jet engine culminating in todays large and successful units. On the way, Hooker visits several countries (including the US) and helps them with their engine development. RR was very successful in licencing their technology to GE, P&W, and the Chinese.
Every time you ride in a modern jet aircraft, get electricity from an Avon gas-turbine generator, thank Frank and Stanley.

[Jonas Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a mix of humorous anecdotes and untangled expositions of the relevant technical aspects, Hooker covers much more than a very modest narrative of his fantastic trajectory to a leader in aero engine development. He gracefully brings the reader to live through his recounts how it was to experience many great minds like Whittle, von Karman and Coanda, as well as how it was to live the transition time from the pre-jet engines and pre-civil aviation to the first flight in a jet, to the first commercial flights and then to the first supersonic flights. All while bringing to life both the many challenges and funny moments he lived during the wartime and the post-war. A fantastic, informative and entertaining read indeed.

[Tom Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short autobiography of Sir Stanley Hooker who worked on supercharger and jet engine design during the 40s to 70s.

Interesting information about aero engine development during the war, and commercial jet engine development afterwards. I would have enjoyed more detail.

It captures the feel of wartime development and postwar state capitalism.

I was surprised that he didn't seem upset by the Russian acquisition of the Nene.