Heads Up - Capt. Eric 'Winkle' Brown
 

Desert Island Disks, 0900, Friday 14 November, BBC Radio 4. From the brief taster I heard this morning well worth a listen.

Edit to say sorry, just seen NorthernKestral's post advertising the same.

What a modest self-effacing man! Wonderful interview by Kirsty Young.


Living history at 95 years and with 12 logbooks(!), which do doubt still have many un-told stories of daring-do.......


I doff my cap to you Sir!


MB

Just finished listening to the great man. Having read his book I was familiar with his anecdotes, however his selection of music was a most pleasant surprise and I loved all his choices. Especially Artie Shaw. Will listen again a few times more I fancy.

Just listened as well was great to listen to him.

Stopped in a lay-by with a cuppa and just thoroughly enjoyed it. What a great,sprightly wonderful old chap. Then the Marine Band played in honour of his old mates who didn't make it..........glad I wasn't driving.
Thank you Kirsty & Co best by far for ages.:D

A most remarkable man as well as a most remarkable aviator.

He handled the programme very well too I thought.

Mind you he does have better genes than a lot of us - as I tell him every time our paths cross.

Very lucky you for having the option to cross paths with him. Keep up the good work John.

Those will be Scottish genes Mr Farley. ;)

As for looping the three "slim" spans of the Forth Bridge in a Spitfire, give the man a knighthood.

Knighthood or OM
 

One wonders why such an exceptional individual (who must be the UK's greatest ever aviator) has not been honoured with a Knighthood or Order of Merit after such a distinguished career? Those who frequent this site and the wider military aviation community should start lobbying for some appropriate recognition for him before it's too late.

I think you've slightly missed the point, B Fraser. It was a Seafire, which most people had never heard of. So the complainers assumed it was a Spitfire. They complained to the RAF, and Winkle got away with it. Brilliant. As he said, had he been found out, he assumed he would have been court-martialled.

Excellent idea to try and get him suitably recognised and honoured.

airsound

I don't know about the Order of Merit, but with respect to the Knighthood, as its handed out to 'luvvies' and 'still wet behind the ears' sportsmen, not to mention being a carrot dangled to career civil servants to ensure they toe the line, would you, as a member of a profession which had suffered a 1 in 4 fatality rate, want to be associated with that lot?

A great man and a fascinating programme. Most of the anecdotes would have been familiar to anyone who has followed the exploits of this outstanding individual. As regards a Knighthood, I am sure that you would all agree that his contribution to this country do not match those of the Great Baldrick!!??!

Considering the amazing and exciting life he's led, I don't believe a Knighthood would impress him too much now.
If he was ever going to get one it should have been 20 years ago when he finished flying. Would seem like a bit of an afterthought now.
Strange though how a man of his calibre gets overlooked when it comes to 'Honours'

That story about the USN giving one of their pilots the sole task of beating Eric's record of 2,000 plus deck landings and then having to give up with a nervous breakdown at around 1,500 made me chuckle. Captain Brown was graciously sympathetic to the chap, who he thought had been put under undue pressure.

Fantastic programme, I can even forgive him his choice of Rod Stewart at the end ;)

They gave Florence Nightingale the Order of Merit at the age of 87, so I suppose that's a precedent, but I agree with Goudie -it's a bit late for all that. In today's Times there was an article about Desert Island Discs, which basically said "never mind a knighthood, it's when you get invited onto the programme that you know you've really arrived!"

Rod Stewart was a bit of a surprise at the end but as he said, the song was 'appropriate.'
His choice of Artie Shaw was, for me, perfect. My favourite musician in the world of 'Big Band' music.

Having spent some years at sea, I entirely understand (and love) the Rod Stewart

The personal insights were fascinating. I'd love to hear him speak in person.

A truly great man. Blessed with luck, he was nontheless brave and skilled in his flying. Those in the know will appreciate that, looping the arches of the Forth bridge in a Seafire was high spirits, test flying the Me163b from a "sharp start" was heroic and, successfully landing an Arado 234b, on one and a half engines, in the dark at Nordholz by the light of Jeep headlamps, must have been gifted!
Honours, you might think HM The Queen would see fit to bestow,... if someone just told her?

OAP

I first met Winkle about 15 years ago at Duxford and I must admit that at that time I'd never heard of him! As he has got older and his peers have all left us he has taken more and more of well deserved limelight. I get the impression that he never really thought he was that special and hence he was never really nationally recognised until now as he was comfortable in what he had done and didn't need to crow about it. A great shame really because he is a living "Boys' Own Hero".

He struck a chord with me today when he said he gave up flying at 74 years of age; it made me realise that I too would have to hang up my boots one day and how would I feel? I decided that his description of how he felt was pretty accurate!

An amazing man, indeed.

LJ

I bet she listens to Desert Island Discs - I've always had her down as a Radio 4 listener.

Not so sure about her following the threads on PPRuNe though ;)

Wow - THREE NEW Winkle threads about the same thing!

This one, http://www.pprune.org/military-aviat...est-pilot.html, and http://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/551181-hour-40minutes-capt-winkle-brown.html.


Merge, please Mods.