Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown – The Greatest Test Pilot in the World!
Nicholas Jones, Producer of Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown – Greatest Test Pilot In The World, held a lecture this week in Kermode Hall Lecture Hall to tell the story of the life and times of Test Pilot, Eric Brown. He filmed Eric on three occasions, the last being in 2014 for a feature length documentary ‘Eric Brown – A Pilot’s Story’.
Eric’s biggest regret was that he never got to become the first pilot to break the sound barrier, this honour was taken over by the American Air Force. Eric was, however, selected to fly the Miles M52, for which Frank Whittle built the W2/700 engine.
During Eric’s career he flew 487 different aircraft and made 2407 deck landings. He witnessed the historic first flight at RAF Cranwell in 1941, and was one of only two survivors of torpedoed aircraft carrier HMS Audacity in 1941. He interrogated Goering and Himmler, made the first landing of a jet aircraft on a carrier and sang with the Glenn Miller orchestra.
Tom Costello, Trenchard Museum staff, who was instrumental in organising the lecture, said: “I was thoroughly amazed at the amount of Station personnel who came to hear the story of Captain Eric Brown, the occasion was a complete success.”
Captain Eric Brown RN passed away in February 2016.