On page
49 we highlighted an event which occurred on 8th April 1959 when a Widgeon (G-ANLW) became the first helicopter to land at Westland's Battersea Heliport.
The craft was flown by John Fay:
John Fay
John Samuel Fay was born in Brazil in 1921 and brought up in New Zealand until th age of nine when he came to England.
He was educated at Bardfield College and went straight from there to join the Fleet Air Arm in 1940. His training was on Miles Magisters, Fairey Batlles and then on to Swordfish and Albacores. He was appointed to 832 Squadron on HMS Victorious and operated in the Arctic and the Mediterranean.
He also had a short spell at Manston operating in the English Channel. The Victorious crossed the Atlantic at the end of 1942 and after some modifications joined the US fleet in the Pacific. Meanwhile 832 Squadron converted to Grumman Avengers and had the distinction of being the first British squadron to operate from an American carrier; the USS Saratoga.
After returning from the pacific he joined the Sevice Trial Unit at Crail until being appointed to the first helicopter course in Britain at Hanworth in March 1944.
After the war he joined the British European Helicopter Unit, which carried-out pioneering work such as mail and passenger trials, instrument flying and crew training.
On joining Westland aircraft as a test pilot and instructor he flew the types such as the Dragonfly, Whirlwind, Bell 47-B3-1, Widgeon and Wessex plus the Hughes 269. He also trained some 300 service and civil pilots from Britain and foreign countries and demonstrated several Westland aircraft at the Farnborough Airshows in th 1950's and 1960's. He also published several books on helicopters.
John Fay's landing at Westland Heliport on 8th April 1959 with G-ANLW and which became the first movement at Battersea
John Fay with G-ANLW in a slightly different paint scheme and wearing floats
John with a BEA Dragonfly conducting postal trials with the Royal Mail