Norman Tebbit

[rogera]

I read an interview in Saturday's Daily Telegraph with Norman Tebbit in which he said he had survived a crash in a Meteor F8. I knew he was ex BOAC but didn't know he had served in the RAF ?

[El Grifo]

Well I knew he was keen on cycling !!

[teeteringhead]

Vampires as well as Meteors I understand - and Brits and 707s with BOAC. Sat next to him at a RAFA Dinner not long ago - fascinating to talk to.

There was a PPRuNe thread on him about 3 years ago. (http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/401942-norman-tebbits-raf-service.html)

[air pig]

Stayed at Halton House when his wife was in Stoke Manderville after the Brighton bomb.

[airborne_artist]

From Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Tebbit):

" He was then a journalist for the Financial Times (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_Times) before serving with the Royal Air Force (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Air_Force), during which he flew Meteor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Meteor) and Vampire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Vampire) jets and once had to break open the cockpit canopy of a burning Meteor 8 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Meteor) aircraft to escape from it.[5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Tebbit#cite_note-5) On leaving the RAF he joined BOAC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOAC) in 1953 as a pilot, during which time he was an official in the British Air Line Pilots' Association (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Air_Line_Pilots%27_Association). He flew Argonauts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadair_North_Star), Britannias (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Britannia) and the Boeing 707 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_707)."

[Duncan D'Sorderlee]

A former Captain of mine flew him to hospital after the Brighton bomb. Apparently, he asked 'How are you going to get through the London TMA?'. The response was along the lines of 'Damn. I hadn't thought about that!'.

Duncs:ok:

[Yellow Sun]

Tebbit's autoboigraphy, "Upwardly Mobile (http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Norman+Tebbit&bi=0&bx=off&ds=30&recentlyadded=all&sortby=17&sts=t&tn=Upwardly+mobile&x=58&y=12)" is quite readable.

YS

[mmitch]

I believe that he had at one time flown the Meteor recently delivered to the Jet Age museum.
mmitch.

[RetiredBA/BY]

Not sure norman was on the 707, think he was on the VC10 fleet for a a while ! (urban myth ??). So I was told when flying the VC10 !

[Old-Duffer]

Fg Off Norman Tebbit was flying Meteor F8 WL132 of 604 Sqn when leading a pairs take-off at Waterbeach on 18 July 1954. Apparently, he rejected the take-off, possibly because he believed the acceleration was too slow and the aircraft crashed and caught fire. Contributing factors were the hump in the runway and the load the aircraft was carrying.

Old Duffer

[brokenlink]

mmitch - I am fairly sure he also flew the NF14(T) Meatbox that used to be on the gate at RAF(H) Ely and now resides in Malta.

[aw ditor]

OD'

Runway at Waterbeach is (was) as flat as the proverbial pancake being on the edge of the Fens. It was also the RLG for Oakington post 1964, I wish I had a £ for every circuit, etc etc etc!

AD'

[cuefaye]

What a life. Good man.

[arem]

Norman was most definitely on 707's - I know 'cos I flew with him on them!

[teeteringhead]

Of course, aircrew moved types more often then, both military and civil. It's quite possible that he flew VC10s and 707s for BOAC.

Come to think of it, ISTR he mentioned VC10s at the dinner - but it was a very good dinner, so my memory may be inaccurate. ;)

He was talking very much as old(er) pilot to old pilot - scarcely a whiff of the politician about him that night .... :ok:

[ChrisJ800]

The fireman that rescued him from the Brighton hotel was CFI of the local gliding club but don't suppose they talked flying that bad day.

[spekesoftly]

An old copy of Aeroplane magazine has a pilot biography of Norman Tebbit. Types flown with BOAC included the Avro York, Argonaut, Britannia, DC-7C and the B707 which he flew for a decade. No mention of the VC10.

He completed a captain's course on the B707 in the winter of 1969-1970, just before leaving BOAC for a career in politics.

[goudie]

I concur his autobiography is a good read. Re. the Meteor crash at Waterbeach, ISTR there was some mention in the book of the elevator trim wheel being found fully nose down.