OT: Eric "Winkle" Brown, Test Pilot Extraordinaire
Nov 14, 2014, 4:24 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,641
OT: Eric "Winkle" Brown, Test Pilot Extraordinaire
Slightly OT, but surely of note to those with an interest in British aviation or planning on visiting the various aviation attractions in the UK on their next visit.
Radio 4 celebrated its 3,000 edition of Desert Island Discs by featuring Eric "Winkle" Brown, a most humble individual who probably did more to advance jet aviation than any other man alive today.
The radio show should be easily accessible wherever you are on the planet:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04nvgq1
There was an excellent TV documentary aired during October all about him, which you can see clips from here:
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01ztws0
Well worth raising a glass to him when the Monopole is next inflicted on you at 30,000 feet. He really should have a knighthood.
You can see many of the aircraft he tested at the excellent Imperial War Museum, Duxford in Cambridgeshire which is a must for anyone visiting the UK:
www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-duxford
Radio 4 celebrated its 3,000 edition of Desert Island Discs by featuring Eric "Winkle" Brown, a most humble individual who probably did more to advance jet aviation than any other man alive today.
The radio show should be easily accessible wherever you are on the planet:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04nvgq1
There was an excellent TV documentary aired during October all about him, which you can see clips from here:
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01ztws0
Well worth raising a glass to him when the Monopole is next inflicted on you at 30,000 feet. He really should have a knighthood.
You can see many of the aircraft he tested at the excellent Imperial War Museum, Duxford in Cambridgeshire which is a must for anyone visiting the UK:
www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-duxford
Last edited by oscietra; Feb 26, 2016 at 7:25 am
Feb 24, 2016, 2:49 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: England
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 1,006
RIP Eric Brown.
I met Eric on a number of occasions and his book "Wings on my sleeve" is a really good read, I cherish my autographed copy. Pity he wasn't knighted for his services to UK aviation, some blooming pop singer or radio presenter gets one but not a true aviation legend.
I know that Eric was Royal Navy but, Per Adua ad Astra, fellow aviator.
I met Eric on a number of occasions and his book "Wings on my sleeve" is a really good read, I cherish my autographed copy. Pity he wasn't knighted for his services to UK aviation, some blooming pop singer or radio presenter gets one but not a true aviation legend.
I know that Eric was Royal Navy but, Per Adua ad Astra, fellow aviator.
Feb 26, 2016, 7:17 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,641
Thanks for bringing this thread back up - an inspirational, and modest, individual well worth learning more about.
How lucky he was to be active right up to a few weeks before he died.
His obituary can be read here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obit...-obituary.html
How lucky he was to be active right up to a few weeks before he died.
His obituary can be read here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obit...-obituary.html
Feb 28, 2016, 7:03 am
#4
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: England
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 1,006
Just read the obituary, some things in there that I didn't know. I attended a dinner at Farnborough a few years ago at the unveiling of the Cody monument, Eric was the after-dinner speaker and was well received. My favourite bit was Eric describing a phone call from a Senior Navy Officer:-
SNO "Can you land a Mosquito on a carrier"?
Eric "Yes, of course I can"
Eric then went on to tell us "I'd never even seen a Mosquito, didn't know what one looked like". To me, this sums up his unquestioning self-belief in his flying abilities. No one had successfully landed a Mosquito on a carrier, most landings ended up with the tail being ripped off and it was widely thought in aviation circles that wooden aircraft were not suitable for carrier deck landings. Eric proved them wrong.
SNO "Can you land a Mosquito on a carrier"?
Eric "Yes, of course I can"
Eric then went on to tell us "I'd never even seen a Mosquito, didn't know what one looked like". To me, this sums up his unquestioning self-belief in his flying abilities. No one had successfully landed a Mosquito on a carrier, most landings ended up with the tail being ripped off and it was widely thought in aviation circles that wooden aircraft were not suitable for carrier deck landings. Eric proved them wrong.