Richard Noble

2025-09-17T17:15:47Z

2A0D:3344:18E:3110:B08C:E821:AD92:7872: /* Life */

{{Short description|Scottish entrepreneur; holder of the land speed record from 1983 to 1997}}
{{for|the Australian rules footballer|Dick Noble}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Richard James Anthony Noble
| image = Richard Noble.jpg
| caption = Richard Noble (left)
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1946|3|6}}
| birth_place = [[Edinburgh]], Scotland
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| education = [[Winchester College]]
| employer =
| occupation = Speed record holder
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'''Richard James Anthony Noble''', [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] (born 6 March 1946) is a Scottish entrepreneur who was holder of the [[land speed record]] between 1983 and 1997. He was also the project director of [[ThrustSSC]], the vehicle which holds the current land speed record, set at [[Black Rock Desert]], [[Nevada]] in 1997.

==Life==
[[File:arv super2 g-bpmx at kemble arp.jpg|thumb|right|ARV Super2 with Hewland AE75 engine]]
Noble was born in [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]] and educated at [[Winchester College]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/the_queens_diamond_jubilee/9307367/Queens-Diamond-Jubilee-60-crowning-glories.html |title=Queen's Diamond Jubilee: 60 crowning glories|author=Langley, William |work=The Telegraph|location=London|date=3 June 2012 |access-date=13 January 2015}}</ref> He became a qualified pilot.

In 1984 he exploited a production hiatus at [[Cessna]] aircraft to create the [[ARV Super2]], a new all-British light [[aircraft]].<ref>The Super2 was designed by [[Bruce Giddings]].</ref> The Super2 was fitted with a new British engine, the [[Hewland AE75]]. Only around 40 ARVs were made before the [[Isle of Wight]] factory closed.<ref>Taylor, John W.R., ed. ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988–89''. Coulsden, Surrey, UK: Jane's Information Group, 1988. {{ISBN|0-7106-0867-5}}. p. 279</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://britishaviation-ptp.com/arv.html|title=ARV|work=britishaviation-ptp.com|access-date=29 April 2015}}</ref>

[[Thrust2]], the record-breaking car driven by Noble, travelled at 633.468 mph (1019 km/h) in the [[Black Rock Desert]] in [[Nevada]], [[United States|US]]. The accomplishment won Noble the 1983 [[Segrave Trophy]]. ThrustSSC, the supersonic car driven by [[Andy Green (RAF officer)|Andy Green]], broke the record at 763.035 mph (1221 km/h) or Mach 1.02. Noble was planning another land speed record attempt to take place in 2019: [[Bloodhound SSC]] which aimed to surpass 1,000 mph but the project went into bankruptcy and was sold to Ian Warhurst. Noble remained a Director of Bloodhound Education Ltd. Bloodhound Education is a stand-alone charity which is funded by grants from corporate sponsors such as [[Saudi Aramco]] and others.  <ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7685049.stm BBC News: Supersonic car targets 1,000mph"]</ref>

Noble's next project was to develop the "[[Kestrel K-350|Farnborough F1]]", a six-passenger single-engined [[turboprop]] low-wing aircraft designed as an "Air Taxi" that could operate out of small airstrips.<ref name=" RichardNoble">{{cite web |url = http://www.stibbe.net/Writing/Articles/farnborough.htm|title = Richard Noble's New Mission |author = Matthew St1bbe |access-date = 2010-07-28 }}</ref> The intended market was to provide transport for businessmen who found the existing air, rail and road networks too inflexible and expensive. Noble started Farnborough Aircraft in 1998, but after failing to find backing from any major financial institution, sold shares to small investors. A bitter dispute followed, and development stopped while new investment was found. The rights to the design were transferred and the aircraft renamed [[Kestrel K-350]]. A prototype aircraft first flew in 2006<ref>{{cite news|title=Farnborough Aircraft F1 Kestrel prototype performs first flight|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/pictures-farnborough-aircraft-f1-kestrel-prototype-208258/|access-date=24 August 2010|publisher=[[Flightglobal]]|date=1 August 2006|location=London}}</ref> but certification and production remain uncertain.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avbuyer.com/articles/detail.asp?Id=977|title=Turboprop round-up|author=Dave Higdon|access-date=2010-07-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303020038/http://www.avbuyer.com/articles/detail.asp?Id=977|archive-date=2012-03-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|journal=Aviation Week & Space Technology|date=14 October 2013|page=71}}</ref>

In 2010 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Technology by the [[University of the West of England]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://info.uwe.ac.uk/news/UWENews/article.asp?item=1866&year=2010 | title=UWE awards honorary degree to Richard Noble OBE | publisher=University of the West of England | access-date=4 February 2011}}</ref>

In 2018 Noble was awarded an honorary degree from [[University of Bradford|The University of Bradford]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-07-13 |title=University honours six at graduations - 2018 - News |url=https://www.bradford.ac.uk/news/archive/2018/university-honours-six-at-graduations-1.php |access-date=2025-07-04 |website=University of Bradford |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Noble's autobiography is titled ''Thrust: The Remarkable Story of One Man's Quest for Speed''.<ref>''Thrust: The Remarkable Story of One Man's Quest for Speed'', Richard Noble, Partridge Press, Oct 1998</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book |last=Noble |first=Richard |date=1998 |title=Thrust: The Remarkable Story of One Man's Quest for Speed |location=London |publisher=Partridge Press |isbn=978-1852252687 }}
* {{cite book |last=Shapiro |first=Harvey |date=1997 |title=Man Against the Salt |location=London |publisher=Minerva Press |isbn=978-1858638980 }}

==External links==
* [http://www.richard-noble.com/ Official Page]
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.farnborough-aircraft.com/ |date=* |title=Farnborough Aircraft website }}

{{Thrust project}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noble, Richard}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Scottish racing drivers]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Land speed record people]]
[[Category:People educated at Winchester College]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Segrave Trophy recipients]]
[[Category:BRDC Gold Star winners]]

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Richard Noble