Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown

A truly great man. Not only the finest Royal Navy fleet Air arm Pilot but probably the best Test Pilot we have ever had too.

He flew more different types of aircraft than anyone else including most German types captured after the war. He was our most decorated pilot ever, and was a test Pilot during the important early Jet years and when we were losing test pilots at the rate of nearly one a month.

Remember in those days there were no advanced computers or simulators and the First flight of any new prototype really was a leap into the unknown.  In short Eric was one of those men who really did make Great Britain Great.

I can think of no better epitaph than the simple description

Capt Eric "Winkle" Brown - Aviator!

TF

A truly great man. Not only the finest Royal Navy fleet Air arm Pilot but probably the best Test Pilot we have ever had too.

He flew more different types of aircraft than anyone else including most German types captured after the war. He was our most decorated pilot ever, and was a test Pilot during the important early Jet years and when we were losing test pilots at the rate of nearly one a month.

Remember in those days there were no advanced computers or simulators and the First flight of any new prototype really was a leap into the unknown.  In short Eric was one of those men who really did make Great Britain Great.

I can think of no better epitaph than the simple description

Capt Eric "Winkle" Brown - Aviator!

TF

Write your comments here...No doubt there will be a big parade in his honour at RNAS Culdrose, a brilliant man.

He survived 11 crashes and flew some 487 different types of planes and if memory serves at the end of the war he flew a german jet

He actually flew almost every German aircraft captured, and that included about 3 Jets I belive. The ME 262, The Arado 234 and the Heinkle 'Volksjager".  He was fluent in German and that probably helped his preparation for such flights.

But his greatest achevements came whilst testing our early Jets like the Supermarine 'Attacker' and  the later  Sea Hawk.  He also helped with the development of shipborne versions of the De Haviland Vampire & Venom.

But despite his fame and the fact that he rapidly became our most decorated flyer, he never became too proud to talk to anyone, he was generally regarded as a true Gentleman.

TF

Worth getting his biography from your library - a fantastic read of a very modest hero.

A real unassuming hero! 

I read an article about Eric Brown in todays paper and what an amazeing guy he was.His achievements were very impressive and the was the sort of man that makes me proud too be british.

May he rest in piece.

peter.

Well said!

TF

The bit that made me smile was the american pilot who was charged with trying too take the record for carrier landings off Eric Brown of over 2400.The american got too 1600 and had a nervous breakdown

peter.

This Friday on BBC2 at 1900hrs, a programme about Winkle