Flying Lawyer
28th Oct 2011, 20:27
At last night's Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (http://www.gapan.org) annual Trophies and Awards Banquet held in London’s medieval Guildhall the Guild Award of Honour was awarded to:
DUNCAN SIMPSON OBE CEng FIMechE FRAeS
The Guild Award of Honour is awarded to an individual who has made an outstanding lifetime contribution to aviation.
Citation: Duncan Simpson had always wanted to fly but, when he was old enough in 1945, the RAF had a surfeit of pilots and so he won a place at the de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School. He went from the training workshops into the Experimental Department and his work included the DH108, the Ghost Vampire and the late developments of the Mosquito and Hornet. He completed the four-year Aircraft Design Course, became an Associate Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and won the prize for the best final year apprentice. What he learned there formed the cornerstone of his career as a test pilot.
At the end of his apprenticeship he joined the Royal Air Force and learned to fly on the Prentice, Harvard and Meteor before doing a tour on 222 Sqn flying the Meteor 8. After two years, his considerable flying skills were recognised and he was able to persuade the system to post him to the Day Fighter Development Squadron. The squadron was involved in the introduction of the new transonic fighters into the RAF in the early Fifties and operated Sabres, Swifts, Venoms and Hunters; Duncan presciently chose the Hunter to specialise in. In 1954, Neville Duke – then Chief Test Pilot at Hawker – said he urgently needed him as a Hunter test pilot and so Duncan left the RAF and began his long association with Hawker.
Duncan began with a busy schedule of production test flying of this thriving aircraft but gradually became more involved in development work and over the years made a significant contribution to the enormous success of the Hunter. The advent of the revolutionary VSTOL research aircraft added a whole new dimension to Duncan’s test flying. He was the third pilot to fly the P1127 and, when it became the Kestrel, he trained the nine multinational pilots for the evaluation Squadron. He conducted extensive experimental flying on this new aircraft to develop it into the Harrier and was then fundamental to the successful introduction of this remarkable aircraft into the RAF and its adoption by the USMC.
In 1970, Duncan became Hawker’s Chief Test Pilot and, in addition to the considerable ongoing development of the Harrier, he saw the Hawk through from the drawing board to conducting the first flight in 1974. He demonstrated the Hawk at Farnborough just 10 days later and delivered the first Hawk to the RAF in 1976, where it has been in use, as a trainer and by the Red Arrows, for over 36 years. Duncan is now a Fellow of the Red Arrows – prestigious recognition as ‘Godfather’ of the Hawk. His contribution to industry continued after he finished test flying in 1978 when, for the next 15 years, he was the Deputy Director of the SBAC. During this time, he was responsible for all exhibitions, including the world renowned Farnborough Air Show. Even in retirement, he remained extensively involved in aviation, constantly in demand for lectures and talks to a wide range of audiences, displaying (and helping to preserve) vintage aircraft such as the Lysander, Sea Fury, Hart and Hurricane and making a significant contribution to the Guild, of which he was Master in 2002-2003.
His honours include: the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air; the OBE; the Guild’s Derry and Richards Medal; the Air League Founders Medal and the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Alston Medal. For his long record as a particularly accomplished pilot, his outstanding contribution to experimental test flying, his intimate involvement in bringing three iconic British Fighters – the Hunter, Harrier and Hawk - into service and his exemplary commitment to British aviation generally, Duncan Simpson is awarded the Guild Award of Honour.
DUNCAN SIMPSON OBE CEng FIMechE FRAeS
The Guild Award of Honour is awarded to an individual who has made an outstanding lifetime contribution to aviation.
Citation: Duncan Simpson had always wanted to fly but, when he was old enough in 1945, the RAF had a surfeit of pilots and so he won a place at the de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School. He went from the training workshops into the Experimental Department and his work included the DH108, the Ghost Vampire and the late developments of the Mosquito and Hornet. He completed the four-year Aircraft Design Course, became an Associate Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and won the prize for the best final year apprentice. What he learned there formed the cornerstone of his career as a test pilot.
At the end of his apprenticeship he joined the Royal Air Force and learned to fly on the Prentice, Harvard and Meteor before doing a tour on 222 Sqn flying the Meteor 8. After two years, his considerable flying skills were recognised and he was able to persuade the system to post him to the Day Fighter Development Squadron. The squadron was involved in the introduction of the new transonic fighters into the RAF in the early Fifties and operated Sabres, Swifts, Venoms and Hunters; Duncan presciently chose the Hunter to specialise in. In 1954, Neville Duke – then Chief Test Pilot at Hawker – said he urgently needed him as a Hunter test pilot and so Duncan left the RAF and began his long association with Hawker.
Duncan began with a busy schedule of production test flying of this thriving aircraft but gradually became more involved in development work and over the years made a significant contribution to the enormous success of the Hunter. The advent of the revolutionary VSTOL research aircraft added a whole new dimension to Duncan’s test flying. He was the third pilot to fly the P1127 and, when it became the Kestrel, he trained the nine multinational pilots for the evaluation Squadron. He conducted extensive experimental flying on this new aircraft to develop it into the Harrier and was then fundamental to the successful introduction of this remarkable aircraft into the RAF and its adoption by the USMC.
In 1970, Duncan became Hawker’s Chief Test Pilot and, in addition to the considerable ongoing development of the Harrier, he saw the Hawk through from the drawing board to conducting the first flight in 1974. He demonstrated the Hawk at Farnborough just 10 days later and delivered the first Hawk to the RAF in 1976, where it has been in use, as a trainer and by the Red Arrows, for over 36 years. Duncan is now a Fellow of the Red Arrows – prestigious recognition as ‘Godfather’ of the Hawk. His contribution to industry continued after he finished test flying in 1978 when, for the next 15 years, he was the Deputy Director of the SBAC. During this time, he was responsible for all exhibitions, including the world renowned Farnborough Air Show. Even in retirement, he remained extensively involved in aviation, constantly in demand for lectures and talks to a wide range of audiences, displaying (and helping to preserve) vintage aircraft such as the Lysander, Sea Fury, Hart and Hurricane and making a significant contribution to the Guild, of which he was Master in 2002-2003.
His honours include: the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air; the OBE; the Guild’s Derry and Richards Medal; the Air League Founders Medal and the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Alston Medal. For his long record as a particularly accomplished pilot, his outstanding contribution to experimental test flying, his intimate involvement in bringing three iconic British Fighters – the Hunter, Harrier and Hawk - into service and his exemplary commitment to British aviation generally, Duncan Simpson is awarded the Guild Award of Honour.