Hi Ross . . .. . beaut bit of sleuthing there for Lesley. When I went over to Kew a few years ago to spend two weeks researching some First World War and RFC leads (for Ian Mackersey's book then in preparation, 'No Empty Chairs') I wanted to look up one John Austen Pimlott. He was 601 SQN. I ran out of time to do that.
John Pimlott's sister was the late Zelie McLeod , who was a long time journalist on the Sydney Daily Telegraph, with unusually close ties with Frank Packer and Brian Penton of that paper. Her brother John, his wife 'Spy', son Timothy and a daughter came to live in Australia in 1958, having lived about ten years in South Africa. John had interests in Angora goats and mohair production. Zelie was a close friend of my parents. Both she and John were vital, engaging and wonderful raconteurs. John, on his arrival from Africa, stayed with my family for three weeks. He took me for my first flight in a light aircraft, allowing me to fly for a few minutes , when an incipient bug latched on, one that has never let go. By the way, I have a nice colour slide of John in a Canberra Aero Club Tiger with club member John Ronk.
flew assessment flights on a few aircraft and wrote them up for 'The Aeroplane'. One of these was the Miles Aerovan.
He had a good story about flying the Brewster Buffalo, a shipment of which intended for Belgium, came to England instead. He had to wJohn served in the RAF right through the war. He was a SQN LDR. He flew 83 different types as contained in Owen Thetford's book 'Aircraft of the RAF'. This unusually large number of types came about largely because for quite a while John was attached to a repair unit at Boscombe Down where many different aircraft were in need of test flying and delivery to squadrons. John said that after the war he rite the pilots' notes. There was a placard in Flemish he had trouble translating. It read in effect that 'this aircraft must not be flown without sidecutters in the pouch for the same'.
If the gear would not extend you needed to cut the cables that held the main gear up.
John died about thirty years ago, when living in Melbourne. If I could gain access to his service record that would be a fascinating exercise. I am hoping that his son Tim still has his dad's log books. He is not the easiest fellow to get hold of.
Elsewhere Ross you wrote about D4 link trainer restoration. A good friend in Melbourne has one he wants to restore. Perhaps I could put him in touch with you?