RIP. A true gentleman.

A life well lived, and one to whom the word hero may properly be applied.

Amazing person. Definitely a life well lived and a fantastic character.

🙁

Don’t normally go in for the RIP threads, but if a face ever said anything.

Thanks, Winkle.

From the other thread….

First heard of Captain Eric Brown by accidentaly tuning in to Desert Island Discs

Remarkable man to listen to. Desert Island Disc’s isn’t my thing but this is special, and well worth taking the time to listen to

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04nvgq1

rip captain brown 🙁

A proper hero.

As has David Duffield

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/2-british-legends-gone-rip-capt-eric-brown-rn-and-david-duffield

RIP, truly made from the “right stuff”.

Someone worthy of a statue.

Ming says it all.
RIP Captain Brown

This thread is useless without pics 487 pics. Starting here

There’s a hell of a lot more to that list than just Avros and Hawkers. Astonishing person.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_flown_by_Eric_%22Winkle%22_Brown

Proper Legend.

Sad news indeed. He was a hero of mine. Probably the greatest pilot the world will ever see. Combat pilot and test pilot. He witnessed the Nuremberg rallies and at the end of the war interrogated Hermann Goering. He flew more aircraft types than anyone else including captured German experimental aircraft and incredibly even the Me 163 rocket plane. A pioneer of naval aviation making more carrier landings than any other pilot (almost 2500). The yanks even detailed one of their pilots to break his deck landing record but the pilot got to about 1500 and had a nervous breakdown.

Eric should have been the first man to break the sound barrier if some Whitehall pen pusher hadn’t cancelled the Miles M52 programme.

RIP. What a man. Must have been a fascinating guy to talk to.

Just heard this on the radio, 🙁

A very humble man who led the most incredible life. He really was a hero.

It will never happen, but wouldn’t it be a perfect thing for an Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown museum that contained an example of ever aircraft he flew.

Of course we should not forget that it wasn’t just pioneering aviation he did, he even interrogated Hermann Goering!

RIP Winkle

The Desert Island Discs replay is utterly brilliant.

incredibly even the Me 163 rocket plane.

Acting unofficially, after a spate of accidents involving Allied personnel flying captured German aircraft resulted in official disapproval of such flights, Brown was determined to fly a powered Komet.

What a top bloke. RIP.

His Desert Island Discs appearance was excellent.

Loved the bit where he (as a Navy pilot) flew his Spitfire underneath the Forth Rail Bridge, and everyone blamed the RAF because nobody knew the Navy had a few Spitfires.

A full life (to say the least).

An absolute legend, his achievements are truly remarkable.

2016 has been a very sad year for the passing of several of my own heroes.

RIP. I read his autobiography recently, the chap’s a hero.

North American FJ ‘Fury’, McDonnell F2H ‘Banshee’, Vought F7U ‘Cutlass’ and a Grumman F9F-6 ‘Cougar’ of Air Task Group (ATG) 181.
Yes, he flew all of these as well.

Watched this excellent documentary today when I hear the news.
Story of Captain Winkle Brown
You have to admire the guy, that’s a life lived.

Well, time to get him up on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, I’d say…

Rachel

Okay then – let’s do it – gov.uk petition to erect a statue on the 4th plinth.

I need a few signatures to get going!

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/122541/sponsors/dZFhSO2xT72Frjfi0G4

indicate below when you’ve signed and I’ll know it’s live when it gets to 5…

ah – the actual wording on the petition is as follows:

My petition:

To propose a statue to Captain Eric “Winkle” Brown, erected in Trafalgar Square

Captain Eric Melrose “Winkle” Brown, CBE, DSC, AFC, Hon FRAeS, RN was a pretty amazing Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm pilot and all round “hero”. He was pretty much there for everything before, during and after WW2 – see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEe5ul37Q7g Hugely appropriate for 4th plinth

Rachel

c’mon folks – need to get the sigs before this thing opens to public…

Rachel

Done

Thankyou! Got 5 sigs – just need it to be “approved” now!

Say it all
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMjjrp6axWs[/video]

I know someone who worked with him at Lossiemouth, she said he didn’t take being grounded very well.*

*Gross understatement!

BOOM!

Denied!

We rejected the petition you created – “To propose a statue to Captain Eric “Winkle” Brown, erected in Trafalgar Square”.
It’s about something that the UK Government or Parliament is not responsible for.
We can’t accept your petition because the issue you raise is not the responsibility of the Government or Parliament. It is the responsibility of the London Assembly. The Fourth Plinth Project is administered by the London Assembly as an arts project. More information is available here: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/arts-and-culture/art-and-design/fourth-plinth

The sheer diversity in aircraft Eric Brown flew is mind boggling…from gliders all the way to Mach 2 fighters like the Lightning and F104, to four engine prop planes. All have their own unique handling qualities and vices too…remember that back in ‘Winkle’ Brown’s day there was no such thing as a ‘vice free’ aircraft. Every single one of those 430+ types would try to find a way of killing you somehow.

The F7U “Gutless Cutlass” was a plane that should never have been allowed off the drawing board, it killed a lot of young naval aviators.

Sorry folks – I thought it was Parliament that did Trafalgar Square and it’s not, it’s the London Assembly.

Oh well.

Rachel

BBC 2 tonight at 7pm

Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown recounts his flying experiences, encounters with the Nazis and other adventures leading up to and during the Second World War. Illustrated with archive footage and Captain Brown’s own photos.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b045pbq2

Thanks FD, I was hoping that there would be something about him on the box. One for iPlayer later!