Read the forum code of contact
By: - 26th September 2014 at 13:57 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Mikoyan and Camm...... ?
By: - 26th September 2014 at 14:06 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Geoffrey de Havilland Snr.............yes!!!
Edgar Percival...........Yes!!!
George Miles !!!
Walter Beech........yes !!
Clyde Cessna.....yes !!
William T Piper ..... not sure, Piper was more a businessman who made other people's designs work.
By: - 26th September 2014 at 14:17 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Jean Delemontez (of Jodel fame). Seem to recall he used to fly into the PFA Rally in the 1990s... Not sure if Edouard Joly (the Jo of Jodel) was a pilot.
By: - 26th September 2014 at 14:32 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Kelly Johnson probably epitomises great designers who couldn't fly.
By: - 26th September 2014 at 14:39 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
'Teddy' Petter?
Ed Heinemann?
By: - 26th September 2014 at 14:39 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
And (digressing slightly into engine design) Rolls, and Royce, could both fly because Rolls (or was it Royce?) was killed in an air-crash...
The Hon Charles Stewart Rolls. First Britain to be killed in an aircarft accident... 1910 Hengistbury.
Henry Royce lived until the age of 70.
By: - 26th September 2014 at 14:45 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Geoffrey de Havilland Snr.............yes!!!
And Geoffrey de Havilland junior and John de Havilland were both killed flying de Havilland designs but I'm not sure how involved they would have been in the actual design of the aircraft.
By: - 26th September 2014 at 14:53 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The Hon Charles Stewart Rolls. First Britain to be killed in an aircarft accident... 1910 Hengistbury.
Thanks. I knew that Henry Royce became Sir Henry Royce so I figured it had to be Rolls that was killed earlier in the air crash; I should know this stuff really!
Having just looked it up, I had no idea that Henry Royce died in 1933! It is ironic that like R.J.Mitchell he died without ever knowing that the Merlin / Spitfire combination made such a contribution to the war.
By: - 26th September 2014 at 14:54 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Ben Rich almost went up in an SR-71 but backed out at the last minute!
By: - 26th September 2014 at 15:01 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hawker Aircraft, named by Thomas Sopwith after his chief engineer and test pilot.....Harry Hawker...
...didn't know that either!
By: - 26th September 2014 at 15:03 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Having just looked it up, I had no idea that Henry Royce died in 1933! It is ironic that like R.J.Mitchell he died without ever knowing that the Merlin / Spitfire combination made such a contribution to the war.
At least he would have known of the success of the Rolls Royce "R" engine and seen it win the Schneider Trophy...
By: - 26th September 2014 at 15:03 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thanks. I knew that Henry Royce became Sir Henry Royce so I figured it had to be Rolls that was killed earlier in the air crash; I should know this stuff really!Having just looked it up, I had no idea that Henry Royce died in 1933! It is ironic that like R.J.Mitchell he died without ever knowing that the Merlin / Spitfire combination made such a contribution to the war.
That reminds me of that famous photograph outside Muswell Manor (Mussell Manor as was) at Leysdown in 1909 - comprising amongst others, the three Short brothers, the Wright brothers, Moore-Brabazon, Rolls and Frank MacLean.
By: - 26th September 2014 at 15:06 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Some on this side of the pond:
Yes, could fly: Wright, Curtis, Boeing, Allan Loughead (Lockheed), Martin, Hughes, Mc Donnell, Ryan, Sikorsky, Rutan.
No: Johnson, Ben Rich
Don't think so????: Douglass, Northrup
By: - 26th September 2014 at 15:10 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Tommy Sopwith sounds like he should be able to fly?
Sopwith certainly flew - he made a hot air balloon ascent in Charlie Rolls' balloon in June 1906, then learned to fly at Brooklands in 1910, gaining Royal Aero Club Aviation Certificate No. 31.
His son, Tommy Jnr, used to fly helicopters I believe.
By: - 26th September 2014 at 15:15 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
RJ Mitchell was a flyer, on one occasion flying to Bristol the plane developed a mechanical fault and was forced to come down at Middle wallop; he phoned Supermarine and told them what had happened, and they were to let his wife know he was alright,but the message his wife got was "your husband's had an accident, and come down wallop!"
By: - 26th September 2014 at 15:22 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Neville Shute Norway (of Vickers and Airspeed)......yes.
By: - 26th September 2014 at 15:24 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
This may be thread drift, but looking at it the other way:
Test pilot Peter Phillips wanted a light twin with excellent performance and handling, and designed the beautiful Phillips Speedtwin. Phillips died some years ago, but there seems to be a new attempt to market the Speedtwin as the E2E Comet. Good luck to them - in my opinion, a stunning aeroplane that deserves to be successful!
By: - 26th September 2014 at 15:27 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Flying his own aircraft didn't do Frank Barnwell any favours!
By: - 26th September 2014 at 15:31 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Some on this side of the pond:Yes, could fly: Wright, Curtis, Boeing, Allan Loughead (Lockheed), Martin, Hughes, Mc Donnell, Ryan, Sikorsky, Rutan.
Wow, there are some names there!
By: - 26th September 2014 at 15:34 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
developed a mechanical fault and was forced to come down at Middle wallop;
Presumably not on the current airfield as I don't think that was built until after Mitchell died.
Posts: 9,739
By: Creaking Door - 26th September 2014 at 13:46
Just something that I've often wondered; wouldn't an ability to fly make you a better aircraft designer?
Kurt Tank could fly but what about R.J.Mitchell? One of the 'de Havilland brothers' was killed test-flying (but I'm not sure how much aircraft design, if any, he was involved in). And (digressing slightly into engine design) Rolls, and Royce, could both fly because Rolls (or was it Royce?) was killed in an air-crash...
...so was Roy Chadwick, but he wasn't flying the aircraft at the time.
This makes me realise how few of the names behind the great aircraft designs I actually know; Tommy Sopwith sounds like he should be able to fly? Willy Messerschmitt.....don't know?