Vickers Test Pilots Photos/info wanted.

[luffers79]

I´m creating an autobiographical record & am looking for photographs of Mutt Summers AND Mike Lithgow. Surprisingly, although I have spent several hours searching the Internet, I have not had ANY success !!??
I have seen an excellent one of M.L. somewhere in flying overalls, tousled hair (in a cockpit ?) which would be ideal. Can Anyone help me please ?
Also, somewhere in my search, I came across a letter from someone asking why there has never been a book about Mutt S. (having flown the maiden flights on, amongst others, Spitfire, Wellington and Viscount) ?? An obvious choice one would have thought !!

[BoeingMEL]

Have you cross-referenced Geoffrey Page's book "Shot Down in Flames" ? Geoffrey was with Vickers during the Viking and Viscount post-war years and there are numerous references to Mutt S and (I seem to recall) Mike L. I hope this helps. bm.

[Brain Potter]

I am sure that Brian Trubshaw's autobiography includes pictures of the whole team at Vickers-Armstrong's under Mutt Summers.

[BoeingMEL]

.... you say tht you re writing an autobiographical account.... so, the story/book is about you...right? :rolleyes:

[John Farley]

Brain

Indeed it does.

[luffers79]

No, not exactly BM & J.F. I´m creating a Picasa Website - which is Free & allows putting several sentences BELOW each photograph in a slideshow effect. 400+ so far. Mainly RAF & Civil people/places/experiences encountered. I´m planning for restricted viewing. Can also be open to all - should one wish. PM me if wishing to try something yourselves.
My thanks to all suggestions so far. I was hopeing not to go down the obtaining books line. Would prefer photos sent to me in a PM email, please.

[Milt]

This TP suffered a decline in confidence with the Vickers designers soon after a wing main spar of the second Valiant prototype broke beside me with a huge bang. Thankfully the wing stayed attached via alternative load paths even though at AUW (168,000 Pnds) and a couple of just fired Super Sprite units.

When advised of the failure Vickers engineers stated that it couldn't have been a spar failure as if so the wing would have come off.

That was too close.

[BoeingMEL]

...for being a pedant.... but you risk acute embarrassment!

An autobiography is written about one's self.

Since your proposed work relates to the lives of others... it will be biographical.

Good Luck all the same!

bm :ok:

[eMACaRe]

Will this project also contain details/accounts of such pilots as Bryce, Handasyde, Longbottom, Lucke et al ??

eMACaRe (Brooklands Museum person....)

[lima5]

I joined Vickersin 1950 as a test pilot and knew Mutt and Mike well. Unfortunately I have no photos; but may be able to fill in other details if required
Brian Powell

[luffers79]

eMACaRe & lima 5.
Thankyou for your replies. As I said at the beginnining, I am creating a photographic record (with the help of the Picasa website) which can place about 3 or 4 anecdotal sentences nicely UNDERNEATH each photo of people/places/experiences in my life. This is mainly for my grandchildren - & a few friends. Certainly not "Open" for public viewing. I am not writing a book. Having met & been helped by MS & ML years ago, I was hoping that I could find & include a couple of nice photographs of them. In addition I said that I was surprised that Mutt Summers, who flew the first flights of the Spitfire, Wellington & Viscount, among others, had not had a book written about him. Now had he come 2nd in the X - Factor .......... !!

[PPRuNe Pop]

luffers79.

Your time on PPRuNe will be VERY limited if you make comments like that again. Especially since you have no idea who were talking to.

YOU yourself said used the term autobiographical and BM was correct and simply asked the question. We do that on here.

[eMACaRe]

Hi Luffers:
I shall be over at the (Brooklands) Museum next Tuesday. Would you like me to have a look through the Vickers "In-House" magazines to see if there is anything that could be useful in your request??

regards,

Andy eMACaRe

[BoeingMEL]

..you seem to miss the point. It is not possible to write an autobiography about someone else. That is a fact, regardless of how Luffers worded his question.

Oxford English Dictionary:

Autobiography: "The story of a person's life written by that person."

Biography: The story of a person's life.

I deleted one of my previous posts because, even using words of 3 or fewer syllables, certain parties couldn't understand these simple and widely acknowledged definitions. :ugh:

I do repeat again however that I wish Luffers good luck and I was only trying to be constructive! bm

[luffers79]

eMACaRe
Hi Andy !!
Many thanks for your kind & constructive offer to help me with my melange. I don´t want to put you to, what sounds like, a great deal of trouble. In any case, the problems of transmission from there of anything you did find could be considerable. It will not be the end of life as we know it.

ukblue
Thank you for your spirited defence !! Yes, my succinct response to nitpicking & "eyes rolling skywards Smiley" had been removed by the time you spotted the various exchanges. However, you echoed my sentiments - and for that I will be ever grateful !! (Who said life was fair ?).
Brian.

[reallyoldfart]

If you can get hold of a book titled "TEST PILOTS" by Don Middleton ISBN 0-00-218098-7, published 1985, you may find what you are looking for. This is one of those books you can read, re-read and read again, because there is so much information there. Hope this helps.

[IFPS man]

Reading the postings on this site, I concur with ukblue - it is pretty obvious that luffers79 is producing an account of HIS experiences (AUTO-BIOGRAPHICAL, perhaps....) illustrated with pictures/information about pilots he was associated with..........