Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 13, 2022 23:13:16 GMT 12
This chap sounds interesting. From The Press, 16 November 1964
Test Pilot Prefers To Hasten Slowly
"The Press" Special Service AUCKLAND, Nov. 15.
A former English test pilot who 30 years ago flew an aircraft from England to China at a speed of 156 miles an hour, stepped from a B.0.A.C. Comet at Whenuapai after travelling over part of the same route at 500 miles an hour.
After a long and colourful career as a test pilot, Mr G. B. S. Errington now has a job, operations liaison officer for the De Havilland division of the Hawker Siddeley group of companies, which takes him all over the world.
In New Zealand, the only country up to now he had not visited, Mr Errington will inspect the Wellington plant of his company, meet air crews, and study local operations techniques.
His aviation career began when he watched an aircraft, fitted with “retractile” landing gear, take off in England. Seeing the name of the owner of the company on the aircraft, he wrote a letter applying for a job. He was accepted and later became firm friends with the owner, who later found fame as an author. The aircraft owner was the late Nevil Shute.
Mr Errington flew aircraft for Shute’s company. Airspeed, Ltd., for 20 years. Then came the war. After test flying the DH9B, later known as the Mosquito, Mr Errington reported that it was the finest aircraft in the world.
Mr Errington describes the Spitfire as “one of the most beautiful creations of all time.”
Mr Errington, who still" flies aircraft on lengthy trips, once built his own aircraft. The machine, a single-seater, had crashed in the desert. It was slung into a box in small pieces and rebuilt by him to continue flying for many years.
“I never used an airfield when flying that aircraft,” he said. “I landed and took off from fields. “One of these days I am going to publish a guide book on flying from fields.”
Mr Errington, in spite of his experience with airliners and jets, still loves the small single-engined machine. He explained: “With a slow aircraft like that you can feel it getting hold of the air and flying on it, not like these semi-ballistic missiles we are using today.”
Test Pilot Prefers To Hasten Slowly
"The Press" Special Service AUCKLAND, Nov. 15.
A former English test pilot who 30 years ago flew an aircraft from England to China at a speed of 156 miles an hour, stepped from a B.0.A.C. Comet at Whenuapai after travelling over part of the same route at 500 miles an hour.
After a long and colourful career as a test pilot, Mr G. B. S. Errington now has a job, operations liaison officer for the De Havilland division of the Hawker Siddeley group of companies, which takes him all over the world.
In New Zealand, the only country up to now he had not visited, Mr Errington will inspect the Wellington plant of his company, meet air crews, and study local operations techniques.
His aviation career began when he watched an aircraft, fitted with “retractile” landing gear, take off in England. Seeing the name of the owner of the company on the aircraft, he wrote a letter applying for a job. He was accepted and later became firm friends with the owner, who later found fame as an author. The aircraft owner was the late Nevil Shute.
Mr Errington flew aircraft for Shute’s company. Airspeed, Ltd., for 20 years. Then came the war. After test flying the DH9B, later known as the Mosquito, Mr Errington reported that it was the finest aircraft in the world.
Mr Errington describes the Spitfire as “one of the most beautiful creations of all time.”
Mr Errington, who still" flies aircraft on lengthy trips, once built his own aircraft. The machine, a single-seater, had crashed in the desert. It was slung into a box in small pieces and rebuilt by him to continue flying for many years.
“I never used an airfield when flying that aircraft,” he said. “I landed and took off from fields. “One of these days I am going to publish a guide book on flying from fields.”
Mr Errington, in spite of his experience with airliners and jets, still loves the small single-engined machine. He explained: “With a slow aircraft like that you can feel it getting hold of the air and flying on it, not like these semi-ballistic missiles we are using today.”
