Peter Twiss OBE DSC*

[P6 Driver]

Sad news being reported today that Peter Twiss died yesterday aged 90.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Sad indeed. I saw him flying the FD-2 at Farnborough most of a lifetime ago.

[Gemini Twin]

R.I.P. Mr. Twiss. You played a key role during a very interesting era, an era that will not occur again unfortunately.

[Jackonicko]

The ranks of the WWII generation are thinning all too rapidly.

I had the honour to meet Twiss, and like so many of his ilk he was charming, generous, and genuinely funny. I learned that in addition to his career as TP and wartime fighter pilot he'd gone on to work for Fairey Marine, and skippered one of the power-boats in that Bond movie - Thunderball, perhaps, or From Russia with Love. My memory is failing me.

RIP, Lt Cdr, and thank you for all that you did for us.

[Tankertrashnav]

I remember naming Peter Twiss as "my hero" in class as a 9 year old back in 1956. As most of the boys had nominated footballers (mainly Glasgow Celtic), my teacher was somewhat puzzled, and I had to explain to the class who he was.

A long and successful life - who could ask for more? RIP

[Haraka]

Holder of the World Air Speed record for the U.K. in the F.D.2. at 1,132 mph in 1956 - I didn't even have to look this up.
Furthermore, "deadsticked " the same aircraft into Boscombe in a classic demonstration of fine airmanship.
An inspiration for those whose childhood models were rather Dan Dare than Arthur Daley: also a reminder of finer days and stronger men in what was a great country.

[Geehovah]

One of my boyhood heroes. I remember reading the plaque about his exploits in front of the FD2 at Finningley. Seems like a lifetime ago.

RIP

[sharpend]

Yes, very sad, but he had a good life.

I went to a car/flying show at Popham a few years ago. Wandered into the craft tent to look and noticed a book stall. Picked up a book called 'Faster than the Sun'. Told the old chap behind the table that Peter Twist was my hero when I was a lad so I had to buy the book. The old gent asked me if I wanted him to sign it!

Yes, you guessed, it was the Hero himself. Said he was still gliding at over 80

[Top West 50]

"Empire of the Clouds" by James Hamilton-Paterson has several references to the great man - highly recommended!

[soddim]

My boyhood hero met at the Hamble Yacht Club many years later - an unassuming man who accomplished so much. Delighted he lived to a well-deserved 90. I salute a man who walked the talk.

[Barksdale Boy]

Sad news indeed. Four weeks ago I visited the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC (part of the Smithsonian). They have an exhibit listing the holders of the world airspeed record. The great man (a boyhood hero of mine) was named as Flt Lt Peter Twiss RAF. I pointed out their error and hope that something comes of this.

As a previous poster mentioned, 1,132 is one of those figures that will stick in the mind for ever.

RIP sir.

[LowObservable]

RIP, Sir -

I believe that the FD.2 record remains the biggest percentage margin by which the WASR was increased, beating 822 mph by an F-100.

[FODPlod]

Up there with Sir Edmund Hillary, Wilfred Thesiger, Peter Scott, Uffa Fox, Donald Campbell, Mike Hawthorn and Stirling Moss as one of my boyhood heroes, too. What a generation! Obituary now published in the Telegraph:Lieutenant-Commander Peter Twiss (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/technology-obituaries/8738456/Lieutenant-Commander-Peter-Twiss.html)

[henry crun]

Stirling Moss up there ? when did he die ?

[FODPlod]

Stirling Moss up there ? when did he die ?
He didn't. I meant "up there" as in a pantheon.

[P6 Driver]

Born too late, I missed growing up in the 50's when test flying was so fast paced and interesting, but reading about the exploits of men like Peter Twiss fired my imagination and started a lifetime of interest in aviation.

I don't mean to be disrespectful to the test pilots of the current era, but nowadays, how many people can name the pilot who performed the first flight of the Eurofighter Typhoon or Saab Gripen, for instance? In the 40's, 50's, 60's & 70's particularly, they were more likely to be household names and featured in newspapers.

The earlier Test Pilots were a special breed who had to live without some of the computer based testing and evaluation now used, and were performing at a basic level where some used to take a chair into a hangar and study an aircraft before taking it up for the first time to visualise how the airflow will act. It doesn't mean the pilots of today are any less brave or skilled - they are just using different technology.

For me, pilots such as Peter Twiss deserve a special place in aviation history, for his distinguished WW2 record as well as his later flying and we are poorer for his passing.

[PFR]

Another similarily good post running here:ok:
http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/462520-peter-twiss.html

[Axel-Flo]

I read his book "Faster than the sun" about 8 years ago. One i would highly recommend to anyone with even a vague interest in Aviation. His experiences through early aviation, the TP stuff and his subsequent work with Faireys.....what a life. Always sad to lose these individuals but truly what a life to have had.......................:sad: