J.G 'Bobby' Burns 19xx-2000

J.G. Burns joined the RAF in 1946 as a Cranwell cadet. He was posted to 56 Sqn and after a tour with them went to CFS. He was on No13 course ETPS in 1954. He went to A&AEE Boscombe Down, where he served from 1956-57.

He joined Hunting Aircraft as a Test Pilot in 1958 before joining Blackburn Aircraft in 1959, test flying the NA.39 Buccaneer. He was awarded two Queen's Commendations for Valuable Services in the Air.

S/Ldr Leo Charles Evan DeVigne DSO DFC

Leo DeVigne served in the RAF from 1940-1953. He won the DSO and DFC whilst serving with No627 Squadrom Pathfinder Force. He was a test pilot from 1945-46 with No41 Group Maintenance Command. He took No6 ETPS course,and was a Service and Civilian test pilot at RAE Farnborough,being awarded the AFC.

He joined Armstrong Siddeley Motors and was Chief Test Pilot 1952-1953,carrying out the initial test flights of the deflected jet Meteor (nene). He joined Westland as a test pilot, and was involved with the Whirlwind.

Tim M.S Ferguson 19xx-2000

Tim Ferguson started flying in August 1950 when he joined the RAF. After demobilisation, he flew with No603 Sqn (City of Edinburgh) R.AuxAF. He joined English Electric as a production test pilot in January 1955, also flying the company’s communication aircraft. After Lightning, he was involved in Jaguar and Tornado Flight testing, he landed a Jaguar on the M55 motorway as part of operating trials. In 1975, he was part of the crew (with David Eagles) that flew the Tornado P.03 on its maiden flight. He became Deputy Chief Test Pilot for BAC before retiring from Test Flying in 1979 and transferring to product support.

He was awarded the Derry and Richards medal in 1977 for his high-incidence and spinning experimental work.

Ossie J.Hawkins

Ossie Hawkins started flying with the RNZAF in 1942 and came to the UK in 1951 and joined the RAF, serving in night fighter squadrons. He was posted to RAE Farnborough in 1954 and subsequently to ETPS. He then went to ‘A’ Sqn at Boscombe Down. He joined Gloster Aircraft as a test pilot before joining A.V. Roe. He was involved with Vulcan and H.S.748 testing.

J.Keith Isherwood

Keith Isherwood started flying with the RAF in 1952 and served with No19 Sqn at Church Fenton, subsequently becoming a member of No609 (West Riding) Sqn R.AuxAF. He joined English Electric in 1956 as a production test pilot and also to fly the company’s communications aircraft.

A/Cdre Allen Henry Wheeler OBE DFC 1904-1984

Allen Wheeler was commissioned in the RAF in 1925 and trained as both an engineer and pilot before attending Staff College in 1933. During the Second World War he commanded the Performance Testing Squadron at Boscombe Down and the Experimental Flying Department at Farnborough.

Later he was involved in development flying for the airborne forces before the invasion of Sicily, and he commanded RAF Fairford during the Normandy landings.

Post-war, he commanded RAF Cyprus and the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down. In 1947 he became the Shuttleworth Trust’s first Aviation Trustee, holding that position until 1980.

H. Ken Cartwright

From South Rhodesia, he trained at the de Havilland Technical School between 1935 and 1938. He was an engineer with Wilson Airways, Kenya before joining the RAF in 1940. He served with 30Sqn in the Middle and Far East flying Blenheims and Hurricanes.

On returning to the UK in 1944 he tested aircraft at No 3501 MU and the Instrument Flying Development Flight at Boscombe Down.

Alexander Frederick Cecil Roberts OBE 1925-

Alexander Frederick Cecil Roberts joined the RAF on National Service in 1954 and was commissioned and posted to 2 Flying Training School Hullavington flying Provosts and Vampires. In 1955 he was posted to RAF Middleton St George flying Vampires. In 1956 he completed 233 OCU course on Meteors and between 1956 and 1957 he was posted to 615 Squadron at RAF Biggin Hill flying Meteor F8s.

In 1956 he joined Short Brothers Belfast as an Experimental and Development Test Pilot under the leadership of Chief Test Pilot Tom Brooke-Smith. Between 1956 and 1957 he carried out test flying on various aircraft and made initial familiarisation hover flights in SC1 during tethered gantry hover tests.
In 1958 he was responsible for high altitude testing of Canberra U Mk 10 Drone Target aircraft and completed open Cockpit testing on Canberra B8. He was appointed project development pilot on Canberra PR Mk9. Between 1960 and 1962 he flew production Britannia 253 aircraft manufactured for RAF Transport Command.

He undertook all SC1 test flying including full transitions using first VTOL fly by wire control system. Between 1964 and 1968 he was responsible for handling stability and control testing of Belfast freighter. In 1969 he was appointed Sales Manager Skywan and between 1969 and 1973 he was Manager Skyvan division. Between 1973 and 1976 he was General Manager Aircraft at Short Bros and then was Executive Director Aircraft Short Bros 1976-82. In 1989 until 1995 he was Deputy Managing Director Short Bros following privatisation of Company and acquistion by Bombardier Group Canada.

F/lt Robert Plenderleith DFC 1919-2005

Robert Plenderleith joined the RAFVR in 1937 and the RAF in 1939, serving in Fighter Command throughout the Second World War before becoming a test pilot.

He was one of the first pilots to see action in France in May 1940, when 73 Sqn in which he was serving, was one of two Hurricane squadrons sent to resist the German advance. They returned to England after the fall of France. He was awarded the DFC for his service. He was shot down by a Me109 on the 11^th October 1940, receiving burns to his face. While recovering from his injuries he served as a flying instructor but went back to Operational flying in North Africa and Italy. In 1944 he joined Maintenance Command and was M.U. test pilot until1947.

He joined the de Havilland Engine Company at Hatfield in 1947 and worked on Vampire and Venom jet fighters. He flew the Gyron engined Sperrin at the 1955 SBAC show at Farnborough. He was made Deputy Chief Test Pilot in 1957. He undertook a course with Saunders-Roe on the Skeeter, preparatory to flight testing the turbo-supercharged version of the Gipsy Major 215 and later the Gnome turboshaft unit.He transferred to Rolls-Royce at Leavesden where he became a helicopter test pilot.

At the end of his flying career he became the company’s marketing promotions manager.

Stuart N 'Scotty' Sloan MVO DFC CGM 1922-1994

'Scotty' Sloan

J.D 'Johnny' Baker 1924-2006

F/L Albert H 'Witt' Wittridge DFC 1922-2009

World War Two RAF Spitfire fighter pilot, Flight Lieutenant Albert Wittridge, DFC, flew two tours of operations with 155 Squadron in Burma, and was subsequently and RAF and civilian instructor and test pilot.

He joined 155 Squadron, flying Mark 8 Spitfires. He shot down high flying Dinah reconnaissance aircraft similar to the RAF’s Mosquito, and also a Jap Oscar fighter, which outclassed RAF Hurricanes.

Albert Wittridge, always known as ‘Witt’, ended his tour of operations as an instructor with the flying assessment of ‘Exceptional’. Based at Boscombe Down he became an experimental test pilot until leaving the RAF in 1953 where he continued as a civil test pilot, being at the forefront of many fascinating experimental developments, flying and testing over 30 different types of aircraft including Meteor jet fighters and V-bombers. Despite having flown so many different and more advanced aircraft, he rates his Mark 8 Spitfire DG-C above all the others.

Capt J.F.X 'Sam' McKenna AFC 19xx-1945

Capt J.F.X 'Sam' McKenna AFC

'J.W Charles 'Pee-wee' Judge 1922-1970

Pee-wee Judge

W.H. 'Slim' Sear

Slim Sear
Slim Sear climbing aboard Westland Wessex
Slim Sear (left) and test crew of Westland Westminster

Westland Westminster in flight

W.H. 'Slim' Sear

G/Cpt Harry Alexander 'Bruin' Purvis DFC AFC 1905-1967

H. A 'Bruin' Purvis

Desmond Gerald 'Dizzy' Addicot 1922-2005

Desmond "Dizzy" Addicott was nicknamed "Dismal Desmond" at school but this became "Dizzy" when he joined the RAF in 1942 and trained in Canada in Tiger Moths and Harvards. In 1945 he flew Mosquito to Burma and joined 110 Hyderabad Squadron which was advancing to Rangoon and Singapore, He took the first Mosquito to Java. Between 1945 and 1946 he was promoted to Squadron Leader and joined 84 Squadron on operations in Java. Between 1946 and 1947 he instructed on Mosquitos at 13 OTU. Between 1947 and 1948 he was a test pilot on Wellingtons and other types at 201 AFS Swinderby.
Between 1950 and 1951 he was a civilian flying instructor to Royal Navy pilots on Mosquitos and was with the Civilian Anti-Aircraft Cooperation Unit flying Beaufighters Spitfires and Vampires. Between 1951 and 1955 he was with Short Brothers and Harland as a Civilian naval ferry pilot. Between 1955 and 1961 he was with Vickers-Armstrong Ltd at Wisley as a test pilot where he flew Rapides, Doves and Herons on comms duties and Valetta, Varsity, Viking and Canberra on guided weapons duties. He was involved in production test flying Valiants and development of airborne re-fuelling. He was a tanker pilot on the first V-bomber to V-bomber refuelling
Between 1961 and 1965 he was seconded to Hunting Aircraft as Senior Test pilot on Jet Provosts. He was involved in the spinning trials and developing the tail parachutes He continued the test flying and demonstration of H126 at Paris air Show in 1965. Between 1965 and 1971 he returned to Wisley which was now part of BAC flying Vanguards, BAC1-11s and VC-10s.
Between 1971 and 1979 he was posted to Filton to fly comms duties on HS125, DC3, President, Heron and Dove. He flew the Junkers Ju 52 in "The Dirty Dozen", Mosquitos in "Mosquito Squadron", various WW1 replica aircraft in "The Blue Max" and the B-25 camera aircraft in the "Memphis Belle" remake in 1990. He was also in the 1986 release, "Biggles: Adventures in Time". He flew a wide variety of aircraft and became well known on the air show circuit.

Addicott was a keen racing driver, and in the early 60s he raced an Elva-DKW alongside such names as Jim Clark, Mike Spence, Hugh Dibley (another pilot), Peter Arundell, Frank Gardner and Tony Maggs. He even had plans for a go at Craig Breedlove's 407mph land speed record using a vehicle based on a Swift fighter!

Harold 'Pip' Lord Piper 1899-1965

Harold Piper was born in 1899 and lived on the family farm in Banks,New Zealand. He learnt to fly in a Caudron aircraft at the Canterbury Aviation Company's site at Sockburn,going solo in 1918 after 5 hours and 30misn of tutoring. Sadly for Piper, WWI ended before he could enlist for service.
After a gap of several years,Piper joined the NZPAF in 1926 and was commisoned as a second Lieutenant. In 1927 he decided he would join the RAF and did so that year. After gaining considerable flying experience he sought leave from the RAF IN 1930 to undertake a flight from England to Australia with a fllow Kiwi who was also in the RAF. Piper bought a Dessouter aircraft which he called 'Aorangi' ,and the pair flew on what was to be an epic adventure across the World,via the Middle-East, India and South-East Asia, reaching Darwin six weeks and 2 ays after leaving England,completeing the eighth succesdul flight between England and Australia in the process.
His career with the RAF ended in 1933 and he joined Gravesend Aviation,training pupils and giving joy-rides. A year later he joined Shorts Brothers as a Test Pilot, with whom he stayed until 1948,having been their Chief Test Pilot for 10years. He had an extensive involvment with Flying Boats produced by Shorts, especially testing 166 Sunderlands. In 1946 he test flew the 4 Shorts Sandringhams ordered by Tasman Empire Airways Ltd (TEAL),before leaving Shorts and returning to New Zealand.
He retired from flying in 1956 and died in 1965 after having flown as a pilot for 41 years. He had flown 6372 hours on 91 different aircraft.

John Hindmarsh 1907-1938

John Stuart Hindmarsh was the son of Donald Stuart Hindmarsh and Annie Stuart Campbell. He went to school at Sherborne, Dorset before going to the Military College Sandhurst for Officer Training . He subsequently gained a commission in the Royal Army Tank Corps and was posted to the 2nd Battalion at Cranwell, in 1928. In 1930, John was seconded to the Royal Air Force and learned to fly at No.2 FTS, Digby.

John Hindmarsh was a noted Talbot and Lagonda driver, during the 1930's. His achievements included winning the Le Mans 24-Hour Race in 1935. He was as popular among the motor-racing fraternity, as he was in aviation. He participated in several important car races throughout the period 1929 to 1938 and was always a consistent competitor, racing the Lagonda and Talbot in long-distance events in England, Ireland and France. In June 1935, with Luis Fontes, John won the Le Mans 24-Hour Race in a 4 ½ litre Lagonda, with a Meadows Engine. Their average speed was 77 mph (or 124 kph) during the long distance endurance race.

After completing flying training, he was first posted to No.16 Army Co-operation Squadron, at Old Sarum and then to No.4 Army Co-operation Squadron, at Farnborough. At this stage he was in the Army and seconded to the RAF. Deciding that flying was what he wanted to do and clearly a talented aviator, he resigned his commission with the Army and formally joined the RAF.

In February 1935, John Hindmarsh secured a post as a test pilot with the Hawker Group.The Ministry of Defence plan for the RAF was to establish 4 Hurricane squadrons and 2 Spitfire squadrons during 1937 but this plan was thwarted by problems with the Merlin engines for the Hurricane. The protype aircraft when completed required test pilots to "prove" the operational capability of the new machines. So it was that John Hindmarsh together with two other test pilots, Flt Lt Bulman and Philip Lucas set about tackling the task. With the technical problems and the mounting "threat" in Europe the pressure was on to introduce the aircraft into service as quickly as possible. The first production Hurricane, was flown on October 12th, 1937 by P.G. Lucas, at Brooklands.

Sadly, after a comparatively short but very promising career in aviation, John Hindmarsh, a senior test pilot for Hawkers, was killed on September 6th, 1938 while testing a Hurricane at Brooklands. Just what happened will never be known; however, he had apparently been advised not to fly above 10,000 feet without oxygen in case he 'blacked out'. It seems that he may have ignored this precaution either intentionally or inadvertently; whatever the reason, the Hurricane which had been wheeling high in the sky above Brooklands one moment, was suddenly seen to be in a headlong dive, the engine note rising to a terrifying howl which was clearly heard by the pilot's wife, in her cottage, at Cobham. It struck the ground in an explosion, at St. George's Hill Golf Course, Weybridge. A thin pall of smoke spiraling upwards marked the spot. The contents of the fuel tanks exploded, but the pilot was mercifully killed instantly on impact. It is perhaps ironic that the crash was clearly visible from the Brooklands Track, where John had driven so many of his greatest races.

Samuel M. "Pete" Purvis 1934-

Pete Purvis was born on December 1, 1934 in Cleveland, Ohio where his first exposure to aviation came while sitting atop the family 1937 Ford watching the Cleveland Air Races. After high school, and a year at Dartmouth College, he spent the next four years at the U.S. Naval Academy where he encountered his first Grumman aircraft and had his first taste of carrier aviation while, rolled up in the bowels beneath the aft turret of a COD version of the TBF Avenger.

Upon graduating from USNA in 1957 Navy flight training beckoned. Pete flew his first Grumman aircraft, an S2F-1 Tracker while assigned to VS-32 at NAS Quonset Point, Rhode Island. He soon decided that there was more to flying than chugging along at 100 feet, day or night, over the roiling North Atlantic. After racking up 1,500 hours in the S-2 and over 200 straight-deck carrier landings on board USS Lake Champlain (CVS-39), he was selected to attend the US Navy Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland. Purvis was one of the first two of his USNA classmates to do so and graduating with Class XXXII in October 1962 opened new vistas. Assigned to the Service Test Division at the Naval Air Test Center Pete flew just about everything in sight while maintaining currency in six different aircraft ranging from the Lockheed P-2 and P-3 to the Grumman A-6 and Vought F-8.

One of his most interesting projects was the Skyhook Covert Aerial Retriever System invented by Robert Fulton, who was a direct descendant of the steamboat inventor. He achieved several firsts for Skyhook, such as the first live pickup at night and the first simultaneous snatch of two people. His work with Skyhook formed the solid technical base for later Skyhook Surface To Air Recovery System (STARS) programs undertaken by the U.S. Air Force for the HC-130H.

After serving three years at NATC, it was Pete back to on the North Atlantic as the Assistant Navigator of USS Randolph (CVS -15) until his 1966 assignment to VF-151 F-4 Phantoms at NAS Miramar where he compiled, and 101 combat missions with VF-151in the McDonnell F-4. In 1968 Pete resigned his commission to join Westinghouse in Baltimore as an engineering test pilot but in 1971, Grumman called and asked offered him if the opportunity to become he wanted to be an F-14 experimental test pilot at NAS Point Mugu, California. His answer was obvious. Among the various programs being tested at Point Mugu, Pete was intimately involved in missile separation tests, where he achieved brief notoriety in 1973 by being shot down by the Sparrow missile he had just launched.

By early 1975, flight test activity at Point Mugu had waned, so Pete joined Grumman International as Director of Washington Operations and in 1981 he became affiliated with Tracor Aerospace. He changed course in 1988 to become the vice president for privatization for Hannon Armstrong & Company, a boutique investment-banking firm specializing in government project finance and leasing. The recession of the early ‘90s and fading government projects required another course change back to aerospace where he has worked as a consultant since 1993.

Pete remained in the Naval Reserve, retiring as a Captain in 1987 after four commands, including that of an RF-8 photoreconnaissance squadron. He is an Associate Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, former chairman of its East Coast Section, and trustee of the Association of Naval Aviation.

Frederick Ronald Midgley

Armstrong Whitworth Chief Test Pilot Frederick Ronald Midgeley, always known as "Midge", joined AWA pre-war under Charles Turner-Hughes, and became CTP briefly when the latter retired in 1945. In 1947 he retired , to be succeeded as CTP by Eric Franklin, and he then became Airport Manager of Baginton.

L.T Carruthers 1899-19xx

Percival Chief Test Pilot

Charles K 'T-H' Turner-Hughes 19xx-1973

Charles Turner-Hughes
AW-52G
Albemarle prototype
Whitley prototype

Charles K Turner-Hughes was educated at Pangbourne Naval College. He first entered the Navy,but later transferred to the Royal Air Force. He learnt to fly at No5 FTS on Avro 504K's and Sopwith Snipes. On qualifying for his wings,he was posted to No56 Sqn flying Gloster Grebes and Siskin IIIA's. In 1930 he was posted to No24 communication Sqn flying Moths and Wapitis. In 1931,when his service commision came to and end, he joined Caribbean Airways in Jamaica and was there for 6months before returning to England to join Sir Alan Cobham's flying circus,he flew with them for 2 seasons and his aerobatic displays were renowned.

He joined Armstrong Whitworth as No2 Test Pilot to Campbell-Orde and became Chief Test Pilot in 1936 when Campbell-Orde left.
He flew the maiden flights of the A.W. Scimitar,Whitley,Ensign,Albermarle and 52-G flying wing glider.

Eric Stanley Greenwood OBE 1909-1979

Eric Greenwood joined the RAF straight from Wantage School and learnt to fly on Lynx engined Avros at No5 FTS in 1928. On completion of flying training he was posted to No3 Sqn at Upavon to fly Hawker Woodcocks and Bristol Bulldogs. In September 1930,he went to CFS to take an instructors course,and after qualifying,spent the rest of his commission as an instructor.

On leaving the service he joined Lord Malcolm Douglas Hamilton in a Scottish joy-riding and charter concern,flying from the Lochs using a Saro Cloud. His next job was as an instructor at the Penang Flying Club,flying Moth Majors. When Charles Kingsford-Smith was lost over the Bay of Bengal, Eric Greenwood spent 74 flying hours searching for him.

Early in 1936,George Bulman whom Greenwood knew from the days when he flew Hawker Woodcocks wrote to him and advised him to return to England. On his return he went to Air Service Training as an instructor until Campbell-Orde left Armstrong-Whitworths and Charles Turner-Hughes asked Eric to join him as No2 Test Pilot. Greenwood was based at Coventry and moved round to Hawkers and Glosters as required.

He flew as 2nd pilot on the maiden flight of the A.W Ensign. In 1941 he was sent as Chief Test pilot to A.S.T. at Hamble,where all the examples of USA fighters were being modified. In 1944 he took over the position of Chief Test Pilot at Glosters on the retirement of Michael Daunt. It was here,while testing Meteors for the World's Record Attempt,that he flew at 500mph and then over 600mph in the recorde breaking aircraft. It was an amzing piece of development flying to raise the speed from 500 to 600mph in a fortnight.

He was awarded the OBE in 1946 and gave up Test Flying a year later. He was sales director for Beagle Aircraft from 1966-1970.

Hubert S. Broad 1897-1975 MBE AFC

Hubert Stanford Broad was born on May 18th 1897,and learnt to fly at the Hall School of flying at Hendon in 1915, soloing on a single-seat 35hp Caudron. Armed with Pilot's certificate No 2,044 he joined the Royal Naval Air Service at Eastchurch in time to be accepted for the very first course at Cranwell,then an RNAS Establishment. Broad was one of a number of pilots lent by the RNAS to the Royal Flying Corps,flying Sopwith Pups with No3 Sqn. During a second tour of duty he flew Camels with 46Sqn, and the end of the war found him instructing at the Fighter Pilots Flying School at Fairlop.

Like many ex-Service pilots,Broad immediately after the war turned his hand to joy riding,firstly with Avro,and in 1920 in America.He returned to Britain in 1921 and was sixth in the Aerial Derby air-race around London flying a Camel,the beginning of his competitive and record flying career. In October 1921 de Havilland took him on as Chief Test Pilot Operations. He flew a variety of aircraft with various companies eg Handley Page W.10 Handcross,Parnall Pipit, Saunders A.10 and Gloster II and Gloster III racers. In 1925 he flew the Gloster III in the Schneider Tropy,finishing second to America's Jimmy Doolittle. In 1925, Broad made the second flight in the DH.60 Moth prototype with Geoffrey de Havilland.

In 1926,he won the Kings Cup Air Race in the Moth,setting up a 24hour endurance record in the type. His 14 year association with de Havilland ended in 1935 when he joined the RAF as a test pilot. In 1940 after a year with the Royal Aircraft Establishment,he wentback to Industry,this time as Chief Production Test Pilot for Hawker Aircraft. He had more than 7,500hrs on over 200types.

Jimmy Harper 19xx-1977

Jimmy Harper was the third Briton to qualify as a rotary-wing pilot. In 1940 he became an instructor on Cierva Autogyros. He later became CFI at the RAF's No1 Helicopter Training School at Andover. He was a test pilot at the Airborne Forces Experimental School.

After leaving the service he turned his attention to flying helicopters commercially. He became the Aviation Mangager and Chief Pilot of Pest Control Ltd. The company was a significant aerial pest contol operator.

Reginald Alfred Charles Brie MBE 1895-1988

Born in Egham on 27th November 1895 he joined the Army in 1914 when the 1st World War began and by 1915 was a Gunner on the Somme with the RFA. He transferred to the RFC in late 1917 and was commissioned as an Observer with 104 Squadron flying DH 9's. His aircraft was shot down on a raid on Mannheim in 1918 and he became a prisoner of war, not being repatriated until Christmas of that year.

He continued in the RAF with a short service commision until 1922 when he left to work for Shell Petroleum but remained on the RAF Reserve list. He gained his Commercial Pilots Licence in 1929 and later that year joined the Cierva Autogyro Company and became the official test pilot after their pilot had been injured in a crash. By 1931 he was Chief Pilot and Flying Manager for the Company remaining with them until the beginning of WW2 when the RAF called him back to assist with the calibration of the Coastal Radar System. Within the year, using C30 & C40 autogyros, he calibrated the whole of the system from the Isle of Wight to Orkney.

In late 1941 he was sent to the USA to try to persuade the Americans to use autogyros on ships for convoy protection. He was the first and only British subject to fly Sikorsky's R-4 Helicopter Prototype. He was demobilised from the RAF in late 1945 with the rank of Wing Commander. He visited the USA in 1947 on behalf of the Ministry of Civil Aviation to report on helicopter progress, on his return joining BEA Helicopters as Officer in Charge of their newly formed Experimental Helicopter Unit at Gatwick, thus beginning his first association with Westland when the unit was moved to Yeovil.

He was the founder member of both the Helicopter Association of Great Britain and the American Helicopter Society. He held both No 1 Helicopter Aviators Certificate and a Commercial Helicopter Pilots Licence. The Royal Aeronautical Society awarded him the British Silver Medal for Aeronautics in 1954

He retired from BEA in 1958 to join Westland Helicopters as Personal Assistant to the then Technical Director. In 1959/60 he was responsible for the planning and commissioning of the Westland Battersea Heliport. He finally retired from Westland in 1969 at the age of 73.