My love of aviation

After my apprenticeship ended in early-1970, I stayed on in the Flight Test Department at BAC Warton, and shortly afterwards transferred across to the Jaguar Flight Trials Management section. At that time there were just two prototype Jaguars flying at Warton, S06 (XW560) and S07 (XW563), and I joined Dave Williams, who was the manager, or “runner’ for S07, to learn the task. Remarkably, S07 still exists, it was the gate guardian at RAF Coltishall, Norfolk.but after that station closed the aircraft was moved to Norfolk County Hall, Norwich. I went to see it in early-2010, and it is freely available to public view, splendidly mounted on a plinth outside of the building's main entrance. S07 is pictured below flying over the Trough of Bowland, Lancashire, on New Year's Eve 1970 - Apprentice Broadbent was in the chase plane with a movie camera, and also on its plinth in Norwich.

I stayed in this section for over four years, and had the total privilege of working alongside a great many really superb colleagues, far too numerous to mention, but my bosses in flight test, Derek Hargreaves and Ray Murdoch, the flight sheds' superintendent Len Dean and the chief test pilot Paul Millett, (succeeded by Dave Eagles) led an amazing enterprise. And to my surprise most of the prototypes I work on still exist, more than 35 years on. The Irrepressible Len died some years ago, Paul died after a long illness in September 2009.

As the number of Jaguars in the test programme increased, so did the trials management section, and I was given my “own” aircraft to manage. This was the second prototype, E02 (F-ZWRC), which was French-based and located, in the summer of 1971 at Istres, France (it is seen at Istres, right, before its first flight). I travelled there, monitored its preparation for transfer to the UK, and then a further short period at Cazaux, near Bordeaux, before Paul Millett flew it back to Warton, where E02 was used in engine development trials for some time. E02 was very different to the Jaguars we had at Warton, with French cockpit instruments, and we had many adventures together. Another great character from those days I must mention here was Roy Wheatley, the crew chief on E02, who again ismost sadly no longer with us.

I was more than surprised to see that E02 is still intact (see main picture, top), given the years that have elapsed since I last saw it, but it is on display at the Conservatoire de l'Air et de l'Espace d'Aquitaine, based in the grounds of Bordeaux-Merignac's airport in France, painted as the first French Air Force two-seat Jaguar, E1... But underneath the paint it is still the aircraft that did so much to fund my mortgage!

I never managed any trials of the British two-seat prototype, B08 (XW566) but I did have a superb flight in it behind test pilot John Cockburn, low level from Warton to the Scottish Islands. B08 is preserved at the Farnborough Air Sciences Museum, where my old friend Richard Gardner is Chairman of the Trustees (see below).

After the first phase of the engine trials on E02, that aircraft was dedicated to the totally unpredictable spinning trials, where the then deputy chief test pilot Tim Ferguson exhibited true flying bravery. Tim also died some years ago. I was on the sidelines for these trials, as I had reverted to head the single-seat team, managing the first flight of the first production RAF aircraft, S1 (XX108) which flew the day after my birthday in 1973. XX108 (pictured here landing at Warton after its first flight) is now at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, (picture to right) where it can be seen strung from the roof - just below it sits TSR.2 XR222.

For trials engineers to be given the marvellous experience of flying in a fast jet was very unusual, but I was very fortunate, not only flying in B08, but also having a flight in the sixth production two-seater, B6 (XX141), the pilot being RAF Liasion Officer Squadron Leader John Preece (still lfying from Cambridge) - as we reached the top of the climb heaidng west John said "you have control" and I gingerly took the stick. Less than ten seconds later a warning light came on, John said "I have control" and we headed back to Warton, one hand very close to the ejection seat handle!! Then, as a “leaving present”, I was in the back seat of B1/XX136, behind Jerry Lee (XX136 is seen at the bottom of this page) on its delivery flight from Warton to Boscombe Down for RAF evaluation in November 1974, I had been the 'runner' of this aircraft, which was instrumetated for flight trials, for some months: B1 crashed in Dorset on its very next flight while I was in transit on my way to join 'Flight International' magazine - both pilots survived but, as my memory recalls, neither cause given in the two web sites I have seen rings true. Two of the Jaguar trials aircraft I was not involved with were S2/XX109, whch is preserved at the City of Norwich Aviation Museum at Horsham St Faith, (Norwich airport). while the front half of S06/XW560, is preserved at Boscombe Down. I wonder if the associated information indicates why only the front half is there.....

The Jaguar programme was very good to me: I had a superb, never-to-be-beaten four years, and worked with people the likes of whom I have never met since. And while I am name-dropping I must also record huge thanks to Derek Hargreaves, the inspirational, tad gruff but always modest deputy chief flight test engineer on Jaguar at Warton, who has also been very supportive with my TSR.2 Memories project, on which aircraft he was also deeply involved.

Jaguar flying in the UK came to an end in July 2007 when No.6 Squadron disbanded and its aircraft were ferried to Cosford, and at the same time the last Jaguar at Boscombe Down also flew for the last time. There is a very good chapter in RP 'Bee' Beamont's book "Testing to the Limit" (see TSR Memories pages), which gives a view of what was going on from five rungs higher up the food chain than my lowly position as a flight test engineer in Bee's directorate!! Reccommended reading!

Having seen XX108 at Norwich in 2009, in 2011 I was reunited with XW566 at Farnborough in May 2011, thanks to Richard Gardner. Here are three pictures of it standing outside this cracking little museum (the Cody replica is a must see). It's a pity the collection of aircraft, all of which have RAE association, cannot be housed out of the weather, but '566 looks good, and is virtually cmplete, and next to it stands the Folland Gnat, XR540, on which worked another former Warton flight test mentor and great friend, Les Loveday. Before arriving at Warton Les had worked at Chilbolton and Boscombe Down, and again he passed away a few years ago. The FAST museum is right next to what was the RAE Farnborough main gate, so these aircraft can be seen from the main road that runs by. And mention must also be made of the splendid Nepalese restaurant that is directly opposite. Sit eating a curry buffet while gazing on a preserved Jaguar.

Then, in May 2011 I had a real treat. Having found some time before that B6/XX141 was still in one piece at RAF Cranwell, and then that it and some other miraculous survivors of the Jagaur fleet still taxied around the airfield from time to time, I was very very fortunate to be granted a back seat ride in the self-same aircraft. Some may dream of thier team winning the Cup, this, for me, was at least as good as that! Four good friends and true joined me for that day, my one-time flight test mentor and 'uncle', Denis Potter (far left), the pilot who had flown me in '141, John Preece (centre), the then Jaguar test pilot but later a lot lot more, Dave Eagles (second from right), and my long time chum and fellow Jaguar runner in the early 70s, John Scutt (far right). Thanks to the RAF we had a wdnonderful day, and it was also very good to see the way these non-flying Jaguars are being kept going so as to give the RAF's trainee engineering officers a very high level of totally realistic training. Engineers are the backbone of the RAF squadorns, and if these guys and girls don't get it right, then the mission, whatever it is, will fail. Thanks to those involved on the day for something I shall remmeber always.

Finally, an aircraft that flew only well after I left Warton, but on which, had I stayed, I might well have worked, given my post-Warton involvement with avionics. The Jaguar fly-by-wire trials aircraft XX765 now resides at the Cosford museum, but after its trials were over it went first, and I can lay fair claim to instigating this following my only return visit to my former college since graduation, to the Aeronautical Engineering department at Loughborough Univeristy. It is pictured here at Cosford, amid some most illustrious airraft, including TSR.2 XR220, the Bristol 188 (flown by Paul Millett and only two other pilots), and the prototype English Electric P1A, WG760, fore-runner of the Lightning. A great display of how Britain once ruled the air.

I’ve had lots of great times in the air, both as private pilot and a passenger. On the other hand no fewer than eight former friends and colleagues (including my very best friend at school Brian Helm, and my flying instructor and fellow BAC apprentice Jane Murdoch) have been killed in air accidents, all while in the cockpit. So remember, flying can bite very hard. This picture shows me just after having landed at Leeds/Bradford airport in August 1972, on a PPL training cross-country flight: Jane Murdoch was the instructor.

High Flight
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high unsurpassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

Pilot Officer Gillespie Magee
No 412 squadron, RCAF
Killed 11 December 1941