Test Pilot Taylor Scott RNR
 

The family of the late Lt.Cdr. Scott, killed flying a Harrier GR5 from Dunsfold, 1987, are seeking any photo's of Taylor flying a Harrier ( any mark ) - has to be known, or visible, that it's him...
Anything appreciated.

An ex-colleague of mine (now retired) was the last person to speak to him. He transferred him to Lon Mil, and that's apparently when it happened.

yes, he set course west at 30,000 or so then failed to respond.As you probably know, the drogue fired and dragged him through the canopy - the parachute was shredded by the temperature probe on the fin.

I was a technical photographer at Dunsfold, saw the a/c being rolled out as I left for home, thought 'that looks good' as it was one of the first in paint.

Taylor's last words to the groundcrew were, "what a lovely evening".

The real reason the drogue fired was never established, they came up with an idea Taylor may have lowered his seat onto a fallen wander lamp, hitting the firing mechanism, but this proved almost impossible to replicate ( I was photographer on the Board of Enquiry ). Other theories were that the new oxygen system failed, he became hypoxic and grabbed manual separation instead of seat oxygen, but A, a test pilot of Taylor's quality doing that ? B, The OBOGs failing, and C,the Man.sep. only worked if ejection had already been tried.

It was found that the interlock was ineffective on the new Mk12 seats, and man. sep. Could work independently, but that still presumes several system failures.

BAe tried to call it pilot error to save paying his widow ! She won, after a long, bitter & unecessary battle.This was the accountant face of BAe, certainly not Dunsfold.

His family were not even aware of the small memorials now at the 'field & in the local pub - they are coming to see sometime.

I took some pics (retained in slide format) of him flying a Sea Harrier at Llanbedr at some point in the late 1970s / early 1980s - I'll see if I can find them.

Taylor Scott
 

SnakeCharmer ( I don't even want to think about how you got that name ! ) any shots of Taylor would be really appreciated by his family - as I mentioned, they got F.A. from BAe.

So did the company which now runs Dunsfold as a storage facility, and where Clarkson & co film 'Top Gear' in the paint shop.

My uncle, who was a production manager & is no fan of Jeremy, went near ballistic when I informed him that Clarkson uses his old chair & office !

Back to Llanbedr - that was my first trial, on the AIM9L, another pilot taking part besides Taylor was Jim Giles.

One of the many things I learned then ( I was still an apprentice ) was to give Jindiviks a very wide berth...

Later I was talking to a Kingston photographer ( they made the Jerry Springer show look like University Challenge ) who was taking shots of a Sidewinder launch - after it was over, they, in a 2-seat Jaguar, had formated on the Jindivik for pics !

When I mentioned that the 'pilot' had no way of knowing they were even there and might have thrown in a roll for fun, he turned a strange colour...

Please let's arrange something to cover costs of printing from your transparencies, either call me on a 'personal message' from this network, or I'll give you my direct e-mail.

Many thanks,

Andy

Double Zero,

'Snakeman'... which is what some people call me (!) had already gone so 'Snakecharmer' it is... doesn't answer the question of how I acquired the name but, if I were to explain that the 'Snake' is an affectionate nickname for a popular vintage aeroplane, you might get a clue!

Llanbedr / SHAR - I know that the pilot in my pics was Taylor Scott - there's even a note on one of the slide frames to that effect. Unfortunately, I can't lay my hands on my old notes re date etc. You'll understand how I can be so sure re the name when you read below (!).

Yes - Llanbedr was certainly 'different'! To give you a clue how different, my father was posted there in 1978 as Deputy OC Flying (Manned) (!). You can guess the title of the individual with whom he shared an office! Apparently the Jindivik controllers could tell where they were (they had a radar screen) and where they'd been... they just didn't have an instantaneous heading readout anywhere. Apparently, part of his job involved routinely formating his Meteor on the Jindi for damage assesment prior to its recovery. Another part of the job involved the periodic testing of the Meteor's own 'remote control' by the simple system of remaining in the cockpit while the thing was flown from the ground!

I guess you must have worked with my father at some stage - I remember him taking the Llanbedr Canberra to Valley (Llanbedr wouldn't open for the weekend!) on the 'Falklands weekend' to support the (rather short notice!) GR3 / AIM9 firing trials.

All exciting stuff for me as a teenager on school holidays - watching all this hilarity from the sand dunes on Shell Island! Watching the FR test pilot being bounced down the runway in his Sea Vixen, which was being 'flown' from the ground, is a memory that will always remain!

I also remember the Llanbedr aircrew crewroom after lunch one day... a few dozing pilots.. my father emerging from 'ops'... I'm taking the Metoer - anyone want to come?! As each pilot slowly wakened, the mutterings of "I'll take the Canberra / Hawk etc" built! A young me observed this atmosphere and it clearly influenced my future career choice! Imagine my surprize at the Cranwell regime some years later!

PM to follow re pics

Snakecharmer
 

I remember the Meteor & Canberra, the Sea Vixen was in the hangar during our visit, which I must say seemed the best place for it !

My girlfriend's neighbour is an Admiral who flew them, but is obviously of 'fish-head' persuasion, he dumped flying to drive a ship, and reckoned the 'Vixen was like flying a tank.

It did strike me that one must have really p'd off a higher-up to win the place of observer !

I'm afraid I didn't work with your Father, but no doubt saw him.

As for being in the Sea Vixen 'hands off', I rather think I'd decline !

The Hawk there, XX154, was the first one built - as my Father was a foreman at Dunsfold, he got me in as a 12 year old and I sat in it before the first flight ( per ardua ad astra asbestos ) .

I saw it again last year as the Rutland group, present owners of Dunsfold, had it flown in for the 'wings & wheels' display, which I can thoroughly recommend.

If suffering insomnia, my life & hard times are on www.harrier.org.uk/history
- scroll down to 'harrier testing'.

We'll have to sort out something re. the photo's of Taylor, if you're in the West Sussex / Surrey area I wonder if you'd like to come along when his family visit...

Best Regards,

Andy

Sea Vixen
 

Double Zero, i bet Taylor wouldn't like to have heard you criticise the Vixen in those terms! A tank indeed. Not exactly a Hunter in feel but a surprisingly enjoyable aircraft. I spent many happy hours as one of "Fred's Five" doing aeros in 1962, and Taylor was a member of Simon's Sircus in the Vixen Mk 2 in 1968. Not the nicest control for a deck landing aircraft but had a good brick hen house feel.

Taylor Scott RN
 

Double Zero,

Taylor would have relished your banter wrt the Sea Vixen.
Whay a joy he was to have around at the 'Fold, sadly missed.

Taylor
 

XZ439, I well remember your namesake !

I suppose no-one's found a photo of T.S. in a Sea Harrier yet ?

D.Z.

DEAGLES
 

DEAGLES,

I was only quoting the fish-head Admiral about the 'Vixen being a tank !

I do think it took a braver man than me to point it at a carrier though, and as for the observer coal-hole position, include me out !

We did meet very briefly once, at Dunsfold when J.F. & yourself went up in G-VTOL as a return favour. God knows what that flight involved, but I remember him 'thanking you for the ride', presumably Tornado, with a glint in his eye - so must have been special...

Andy,
Do you remember John Godden, the PR man at D,fold? I lost contact with him after he was made redundant, any idea where he is now?

Double Zero,

I have a small photo of a Sea Harrier flown by Taylor in 1985. There is a bit of a story attached to it. If you send me a PM with a snail mail address I'll be happy to send it to you.