Great British aviation heroes
What about Major George Herbert Scott?
Who?
The captain of the R34 airship (built in Inchinnan, Renfrewshire) which made the first east-west crossing of the Altlantic in July 1919 - a fortnight after Alcock &Brown and two months after its first flight.
It took them 108 hours from East Fortune to Mineola, Long Island (about the same time as the Mauretania's Blue Riband record).
Strangely, there were no handling facilities at Mineola so bold Major E M Pritchard leapt out by parachute to organise matters - thereby becoming the first passenger from Europe to arrive in America by air.
The return to Pulham in Norfolk took a mere 75 hours.
Who?
The captain of the R34 airship (built in Inchinnan, Renfrewshire) which made the first east-west crossing of the Altlantic in July 1919 - a fortnight after Alcock &Brown and two months after its first flight.
It took them 108 hours from East Fortune to Mineola, Long Island (about the same time as the Mauretania's Blue Riband record).
Strangely, there were no handling facilities at Mineola so bold Major E M Pritchard leapt out by parachute to organise matters - thereby becoming the first passenger from Europe to arrive in America by air.
The return to Pulham in Norfolk took a mere 75 hours.
Let me nominate some de Havilland names (of course!).
R.M. Clarkson, the Chief Aerodynamicist/Technical Director whose work spanned the Comet racer to the Trident via the Mosquito, Vampire and DH106 Comet airliner.
R.E. Bishop, the Chief Designer/Design Director from 1936-64
As an engineer those are my heroes but I can't omit John Cunningham, the test pilot who assumed the mantle of Chief after Geoffrey de Havilland jr. was killed in 1946 and was still Chief until 1978 after which we were able to use his knowledge of people and aeroplanes in the sales department!
And of course Capt. (Sir) Geoffrey de Havilland whose company employed the above and which he controlled from founding it in 1920 to the Hawker Siddeley takeover in 1960 but he remained active in it for a couple more decades.
R.M. Clarkson, the Chief Aerodynamicist/Technical Director whose work spanned the Comet racer to the Trident via the Mosquito, Vampire and DH106 Comet airliner.
R.E. Bishop, the Chief Designer/Design Director from 1936-64
As an engineer those are my heroes but I can't omit John Cunningham, the test pilot who assumed the mantle of Chief after Geoffrey de Havilland jr. was killed in 1946 and was still Chief until 1978 after which we were able to use his knowledge of people and aeroplanes in the sales department!
And of course Capt. (Sir) Geoffrey de Havilland whose company employed the above and which he controlled from founding it in 1920 to the Hawker Siddeley takeover in 1960 but he remained active in it for a couple more decades.
Last edited by Allan Lupton; 27th Oct 2013 at 08:47.
All male so far.
So I feel compelled to add the late and much missed Ann Welch OBE.
And you can't really have her without Lorne Welch.
Somebody a bit more recent, who I think is thoroughly worthy of our admiration (and I think the first mentioned so far who is still flying) Dave Sykes.
And just because everybody forgot to mention him so far. Guy Gibson.
G
So I feel compelled to add the late and much missed Ann Welch OBE.
And you can't really have her without Lorne Welch.
Somebody a bit more recent, who I think is thoroughly worthy of our admiration (and I think the first mentioned so far who is still flying) Dave Sykes.
And just because everybody forgot to mention him so far. Guy Gibson.
G
Sir Freddie Laker (I/T inventor & cheap transatlantic travel)
Lord King and Sir Colin Marshall (for turning BA around in the 1980's)
Lord King and Sir Colin Marshall (for turning BA around in the 1980's)
Planemike
xtyperman,
Ah! I remember her as Yvonne Pope. She taught me to fly a Tiger Moth in 1959. And I saw her again last year for a wonderful afternoon of reminiscing.
Ah! I remember her as Yvonne Pope. She taught me to fly a Tiger Moth in 1959. And I saw her again last year for a wonderful afternoon of reminiscing.
The Honourable Charles Stewart Rolls, holder of Royal Aero Club license No. 2 & his business partner Sir Henry Royce.
Lord Brabazon of Tara - holder of Royal Aero Club license No. 1
Lord Brabazon of Tara - holder of Royal Aero Club license No. 1
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Tilly Shilling's orifice was greatly respected!
Beatrice Shilling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beatrice Shilling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Captain W.E. Johns (who wrote the Biggles series)
Nevil Shute-Norway (novelist and chief stressman for the majority of Barnes-Wallis' creations as well as a designer in his own right).
Nevil Shute-Norway (novelist and chief stressman for the majority of Barnes-Wallis' creations as well as a designer in his own right).
The First Lady
Lilian Emily Bland born in Kent Sept 28 1878 - the first woman in the world to design, build and fly an aeroplane - initially a glider, but then she bought an engine from A V Roe (Price 100 Pounds if you please) and flew it several times in County Antrim during 1910. In 1911 her father persuaded her to give up this dangerous activity by offering to buy her a motor car. She died May 1971 aged 92, buried in Sennen, Cornwall
After reading Judy Leden's fascinating Wikipedia entry, I was reminded that Joan Hughes should be mentioned, not least, because like Judy, she was recruited to fly an early low-powered aeroplane. In her case it was the Demoiselle in Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines.
Here she is in her ATA days with something larger:
Here she is in her ATA days with something larger:
Last edited by India Four Two; 30th Oct 2013 at 17:44. Reason: Re-sized picture