Since a few years now I am very interested in pilots that established world speed records. One that keep my interest for now is the one that was established by Group Captain Donaldson on September 7, 1946. He was assisted by Sqn Ldr Bill Waterton en the late Neville Duke. They were all members of the High Speed Flight. Unfortunately Teddy Donaldson died in 1992. In 2003 Bill Waterton was still alive in Canada. It would be great to contact him to talk about this record. Do you know where I can find some pictures of the Gloster Meteor EE550? pictures that were taken in 1946. I know that the Meteor is now in exhibit in the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum. Are they some people that were witness of this speed record at Littlehampton?
As A2QFI's site reference states the aircraft in which Gp Capt E. M. Donaldson raised the world speed record to 616 mph on the 7th Sept 1946 was a Meteor F.4 Serial No EE549 and is in the Tangmere Aviation Museum on loan from the RAF Museum. Bill Waterton flew EE550 with the RAF High Speed Flight in 1946 which as stated above saw Gp Capt Donaldson increase the world air speed record to 616mph (Waterton was able to achieve 614mph). He was awarded a second Air Force Cross following the success of the team but left the RAF in October 1946 to join Gloster as a test pilot.
He apparenelty became the chief test pilot for Gloster in April 1947 and was involved in all the experimental flying with the later models of the Meteor and in training of pilots for other air forces beginning with Argentina, the first export customer for the Meteor. In December 1949 he was sent to Canada to test fly the Avro CF-100 where he remained on loan until Feb 1951. Following his return he continued to be the primary experimental test pilot for Gloster including the initial flights of the Javelin in in which he suffered his most serious crash following the loss of the Ailerons due to aerodynamic flutter.
It is understood Bill Waterton resigned from Gloster's at the end of May 1954.
Last edited by MReyn24050 : 17th April 2007 at 22:16.
ddvideo produced a video entitled "Meteor - The Ultimate Profile" in 2000. That video includes coverage of the world air speed record attempts at Worthing and Herne Bay.
Jetage Museum has access to most of the Gloster photo archive. Tim Kershaw is a commitee member there and has written a book on the work of Russell Adams, the Glosters official photographer. I do not have a copy to hand, but I think there must be photographs of the record breaking Meteor in that book.
Bill Waterton wrote quite a controversial autobiography entitled " The Quick and the Dead", published in the mid 50's. From those I spoke to who knew him at Gloster's on the Javelin programme, its tone was understandable given his particular circumstances.
The title of the Russell Adams book is: "Jet Age Photographer: The Aviation Photography of Russell Adams" by Tim Kershaw. I haven't had a chance to check that it has the photographs you are looking for.
a quick search of abebooks.com showed lots of copies of The Quick and the Dead, from about $6 although most are in UK. It was a controversial book and I would love to know more of the matters hinted at in the book. Years since I read it , may have to dig it out again.
Off thread a little but just read an item from Time Magazine 13 August 1956
Gloster replied to Pilot Waterton's blast last week with the countercharge that he had not quit but was fired for his "disinclination to continue the necessary research flight-testing of the Javelin," dismissed his book as a mishmash of "harrowing self-dramatization, sensational slanders, half-truths, recriminations and flaunted betrayals." But Waterton refused to back down. Said he: "I say, appoint an impartial commission to go into the whole matter and look at the records."
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