Neville Duke

[Stationair8]

Just finished reading his book Test Pilot, and would like to know,

1. What aircraft did he own and operate?,

2. With Duke Aviation what aircraft types or companies did he undertake test flying for?,

Another one of those amazing individuals who did so much to further man's attempt to master aviation.

[treadigraph]

I know he owned a C172 G-BGND and later an AA-5 which I think he was flying when he became ill, but landed safely.

The Optica was one of the types he test flew in later life.

Think I'll dust off my copy!

[Stationair8]

Thanks for that treadigraph, I was told his last aircraft was the AA-5, but read somewhere else that it was a PA-28.

[VictorGolf]

Owning a Victa Airtourer I heard on the grapevine that he did some testing on the version with the 130hp engine, so I wrote to him to see if he remembered anything about it. I got a lovely handwritten note back in which he expressed the view that the Airtourer was one of the best handling light aircraft he'd flown up to that time. I believe the work was being done on behalf of an offshoot of Miles Aircraft but I may have got that bit scrambled. Anno Domini and all that. He was a schoolboy hero of mine and I got his book as a form prize which didn't please the headmaster as we were supposed to go for an academic tome. He also used to entertain us by doing low passes down the beach at Blackpool on the Hunters being built at Squires Gate (Blackpool)

[Democritus]

Back in the late 70's the Dowty-Rotol Fan version of the Islander (G-FANS) was based in the same hangar we operated from at Shoreham and he was the test pilot on that. He was regularly in and out of the Miles hangar and was charming to talk to.

He was quite amused when I told him that as a 9 year old I was paddling in the sea near Worthing when he scared the hell out of me when he broke the World Airspeed Record in his Hunter in 1953.

[Molemot]

I was 7 when I first read Nevile Duke's book "Test Pilot". I'd read anything about flying back then...and nothing much has changed. As for Airtourers, I had a share in a Super 150 for years; a magnificent beast. Whilst being an Immigration Officer at Heathrow Terminal 4, I was landing passengers from a flight arriving from Australia. A young lady presented me with her passport and I looked at the name...Millicer. Hardly a common name...! So I asked "Are you related to Henry?" and she replied "He was my grandfather!" I was able to tell her that I had one of his aeroplanes, and that everyone who flew it held it in high regard. Quite a nice way for her to arrive in a new country!

[pulse1]

It seems that Neville was involved in many piloting activities. My late father in law worked for Dowty Rotol and was regularly flown to business meetings by him in the company Dove. I was fortunate to meet him when he presented me with a flying badge after I renewed my PPL. I met him several times after that in the bar at the Bournemouth Flying Club after he had flown back from some do or other, along with his wife. The last time I met him he had just returned from a lunch gathering for surviving Test Pilots from his era. Apparently he was the only one still flying.

His AA5 G ZERO was available for hire at Compton Abbas a while ago and I was very tempted but it was a bit expensive for my budget.

[treadigraph]

I think he actually had quite a lot to do with FLS Aerospace at Bournemouth, hence the Optica and probably the SAH-1 Sprint, both of which projects they took over.

[Wander00]

Neville was a member of the Yacht Club of which I was Secretary, and was one of the nicest guys I ever knew. We were talking after the funeral of another test pilot of his era and I mentioned that whilst my brother had pop stars' photos on his bedroom wall, I had photos of famous pilots, especially test pilots. ND grinned and said to me " I hope you are not another one who is going to say that my exploits persuaded you to join the RAF". A year or so later it was, sadly, Neville's funeral at Tangmere. I got home in time for the local TV news programme, South Today. The news report ended with film of the Hunter doing a vertical roll, and me watching it go skyward - very memorable.

[Stationair8]

I was in the UK mid year, there was a TV documentary about the British seaside and part of it included the various speed record attempts of the 1950's.

Must give the good folk at ******d's A Mans World of Book a ring and see if they have Peter Twiss's book in stock.

YouTube have some British Pathe footage of Neville Duke flying the Hunter.

[Peter-RB]

Two names from the past, at really the start of the British Jet Design age, Neville Duke and Peter Twiss, were real boyhood Hero's to me, my Uncle who was also a hero to me (he was in 617 Sqdn) gave me a book about the mid 50's, that explained what a test pilot was and did, no idea where it is now, but I read it time and time again, plus both these illustrious men were quite often in the newspapers of that 50's period..

I also remember my old dad being very patient when explaining to my question "what is the speed of sound Dad" :ok:

[gislong]

I was a ten year old sitting on the beach in Ferring at the time !

it was awesome [ although I am not sure that that expression was in vogue at the time .