RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Captain Eric (Winkle) Brown died today age 97,
The man was a legend, where do I start ?
Perhaps with a quote from Neil Armstrong,
" Eric Brown is the finest pilot I have ever met"
He flew more aircraft than anyone else,
he was the first person to land a jet aircraft on an aircraft carrier,
he interviewed Luftwaffe commander Herman Goering at the end of WW2,
He flew the ME262 jet, the Gloster Meteor, the De Havilland Vampire and Mosquito both of these on and off of aircraft carriers the Arado 234 twin and four engined jet reconnaissance/bombers, the Me163 rocket interceptor and so much more,
A tiny man with the stature of a giant, we will not see his like again,
Goodbye sir and thank you. RIP.
Shaun.

Sad news - certainly he was Britain's, and probably the world's greatest pilot. His record of plane types and carrier deck landing will never be surpassed. We shall not see his like again. A great and modest man. May he rest in peace.

A Great Scot too. Had I completed even one of his carrier deck landings, I could have lived on the 'buzz ' of it for life....I ran out of cash before I got my PPL. For me, though, he was an irreplaceable - and almost (at 97) an indestructible hero. We really will nae see his like again. Among his scarcely credible record breaking ventures, he found time to be a Spitfire test pilot, and then felt it necessary to test the Spit in combat too, almost out of sheer curiosity.... Just how many childhood dreams would that have fulfilled? Per Ardua Ad astra..

jarndice wrote:Captain Eric (Winkle) Brown died today age 97,
The man was a legend, where do I start ?
Perhaps with a quote from Neil Armstrong,
" Eric Brown is the finest pilot I have ever met"
He flew more aircraft than anyone else,
he was the first person to land a jet aircraft on an aircraft carrier,
he interviewed Luftwaffe commander Herman Goering at the end of WW2,
He flew the ME262 jet, the Gloster Meteor, the De Havilland Vampire and Mosquito both of these on and off of aircraft carriers the Arado 234 twin and four engined jet reconnaissance/bombers, the Me163 rocket interceptor and so much more,
A tiny man with the stature of a giant, we will not see his like again,
Goodbye sir and thank you. RIP.
Shaun.

well said!
What a man and what a life.

thoughts with his family.

rip eric scotland's finest !

A recommended read "Wings on my Sleeve". Also, there is a book of his experiences flying a range of German aircraft, forgotten the title. He has a huge talent for understatement. The world's greatest aviator is flying high now, untrammelled by the restrictions of gravity. Fly high and free, Eric Brown.

All his books are very interesting, it's a shame a few are out of print.