My friend and former work colleague Brian Main, who has died aged 81, was always fascinated by mechanical matters. He had a natural flair for mechanical design and was an expert from a young age in building and repairing machinery – a talent learned in his native Africa and which served him well throughout his life.
From 1977 Brian’s work at Westland helicopters in Yeovil, Somerset, focused on creating a helicopter to replace the ageing Sea King. In 1980 Westland began collaborative work with the Italian manufacturer Agusta, and Brian led the Westland cohort of engineers, working to translate the broad political principles of collaboration into a realistic design.
Brian would go on to provide the one senior engineering voice stretching across all phases of the programme, from first negotiations right through to the EH101 aircraft (known in the UK as the Merlin) entering service. The citations for his MBE award and the Royal Aeronautical Society silver medal, both received in 1995, reflected his contribution to the programme.
Born in Bulawayo in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to a missionary couple, Ken and Ruth (nee Bartlett), Brian’s early childhood was spent in Bechuanaland (modern-day Botswana), where his father served with the London Missionary Society. Later the family moved back to Bulawayo, where Brian boarded at Plumtree school, Matabeleland.
After joining the British Aircraft Corporation in Bristol as an apprentice in 1961, he graduated from the University of Bath in 1965 with a degree in engineering. While living in Bristol his sister, Meg, who was then training as a nurse at the Bristol Infirmary, introduced him to Sue Lewarne, a fellow trainee nurse, and they were married in 1969.
Shortly afterwards the couple went to Israel and then South Africa, where Brian had taken a position with the Atlas Aircraft Corporation and Sue worked as a nurse in Johannesburg. They then moved to Italy when Brian was assigned to a collaborative Atlas Aircraft/Aermacchi aircraft design programme, based in Varese. In 1975 the family, now with two daughters, returned to the UK to allow Brian to take up a position with Westland.
When he retired from Westland in 2000 he was not idle, adding home-building light aircraft to his lifelong hobby of restoring cars and motorcycles. In a 10-year period he built three aircraft: the first he was still flying shortly before his death.
He is survived by Sue, his daughters, Jo and Nicky, five grandchildren and three siblings.
