Test Pilot (Aviation Classics)

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Created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1876 for William Neville, 5th Earl of Abergavenny. Extant. I was in my final year in the Army, and two of us travelled up from Longmoor to watch the Air Show. In every sense this was a man who was an exemplar for people like me. What is so lovely is that I joined the Air Force 20 years after he did and my great delight was joining 92 Squadron, which was Neville’s first squadron. The aura of Neville Duke was all around me, which is why I’m thrilled to be here today. This plaque has been very well earned. As he straightened up the aircraft disintegrated, and the sequence was this: under the stress of straightening up from the turn and pulling into a climb, the outer part of the starboard wing failed and broke off. The same section of the other wing was lost immediately afterwards.

Hawker Hunter WB188 is on display in the Museum’s Merston Hall, courtesy of the Trustees of the RAF Museum Thirty-one people, including pilot John Derry, were killed. Dozens more were wounded at the Farnborough Air Show in Hampshire on 6 September 1952. After a delay Neville Duke (another pilot) took off in the Hawker Hunter and diving from 40,000 feet over Salisbury Plane arrived with a very large double sonic bang. Forty years on from his 1953 world record, he co-piloted a re-creation of the flight in a two-seater Hunter. The Hunter, he observed that day, was the love of his professional life.

He returned to his squadron and achieved his final success on September 7 when he shot down two Messerschmitt Bf 109s near Rimini. The AOC instructed that Duke was to finish his third tour after completing 486 operational sorties. He had destroyed 27 enemy aircraft, and probably three more, making him the RAF's outstanding and highest-scoring fighter pilot in the Mediterranean theatre. He was 22 years old and at the end of October he returned to England after an absence of three years. Duke was awarded an OBE in January 1953 for his contribution to supersonic flight and groundbreaking achievements at Hawker. On 7 September 1953, Duke set a new world air speed record of 727.63 mph (1,171.01 km/h), flying Hunter WB188. (With this world record Neville Duke exceeded the unofficial world record set by Heini Dittmar with the Me 163 BV18) [6] He was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air for saving his aircraft after an engine failure in August 1955. Two days later, Duke fractured his spine following a forced landing in a Hunter at Thorney Island. Another heavy landing in May 1956 caused further spinal injuries; he was forced to resign in October 1956 after being immobilised for several months. Duke returned to the UK and took up a position as test pilot for Hawker in January 1945. He attended No 4 Course at the Empire Test Pilots' School at Cranfield in 1946 and then joined the RAF's High Speed Flight unit, commanded by Teddy Donaldson. It was Donaldson who set a new official World Air Speed record on 7 September 1946, later being the first official man to break the 1,000 km/h barrier. After demonstrating a Gloster Meteor at an air display in Prague, he was presented with the Czech Military Cross for his wartime service.

On 30 November 1941, Duke was shot down by the high scoring German ace Oberstabsfeldwebel Otto Schulz from Jagdgeschwader 27. [3] On 5 December, he was again shot down by a pilot from JG 27. However, his own tally of victories continued to mount and, after the squadron was re-equipped with the more capable Curtiss Kittyhawk, by February 1942, Duke had at least eight victories, resulting in the award of the DFC in March. These victories included a Fiat CR.42 and a Bf 109 on the 20 and 21 December. [2] Sqn Ldr Duke, from Lymington, Hants, was taken ill after flying his aircraft G-Zero with Gwen, his wife of 60 years. Duke was born in Tonbridge, Kent, and educated at the Convent of St Mary and The Judd School in Tonbridge. One of the four houses at Judd is now named after him, following the reinstating of a house system to the school in 2008. He started working as an auctioneer and estate agent before attempting to join the Fleet Air Arm on his 18th birthday. He was rejected and joined the RAF instead as a cadet in June 1940. My father decided to leave not long afterwards, though I do remember Neville Duke taking the Hunter up to demonstrate the sonic boom.

Fountain, Nigel. "Obituary: Squadron Leader Neville Duke". Guardian Unlimited, 14 April 2007. Retrieved: 17 April 2007.

Subsequent investigations showed that the wing failed because it had only 64 per cent of its intended strength - a fact that was not realised at the time with the limited technology and knowledge available. His second child and heiress was Isabel de Neville (d.1248/54), [9] who married Robert FitzMaldred (1170/4-1242/8). For the next 18 months, WB188 played a full part in the Hunter’s flight test and development programme. In early 1953, it was converted to be the only Hunter Mk 3 by the addition of a reheated Avon RA 7R engine, a streamlined pointed nosecone, a curved windscreen and airbrakes on each side of the rear fuselage. The Neville or Nevill family (originally FitzMaldred) is a noble house of early medieval origin, which was a leading force in English politics in the later Middle Ages. The family became one of the two major powers in northern England and played a central role in the Wars of the Roses along with their rival, the House of Percy.

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Ralph Neville, 4th Earl of Westmorland A. Henry Neville, 5th Earl of Westmorland I. Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland III. Thomas Neville of Brancepeth (Disinherited branch) In the space of three months fighting over Tunisia Duke destroyed 12 enemy fighters and two bombers, and in March he was awarded an immediate DSO. He received many awards and decorations, including the DSO, OBE, DFC and two bars, AFC, MC (Czech) and fellowship of the Royal Aeronautical Society. His hobbies were yachting - and flying.

Downing two Fw 190s of Schlachtgeschwader 4 in May, Duke scored his final kills on 7 September 1944, becoming the Mediterranean Theatre's top Allied fighter ace at the age of 22. In 486 sorties and some 712 operational hours, he claimed 27 outright victories and two shared, one probable, six damaged and two shared destroyed on the ground. [5] Test pilot [ ]

I remember my father dragging me to my right as I watched what was one of the engines hurtling towards us, whistling and then I remember a dull thud to our left and then total silence. Duke received many national and international honours in addition to his gallantry awards.He was awarded the Royal Aero Club's Gold Medal, and in 1993 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.In 2002 he was the recipient of the Air League's Jeffrey Quill Medal.In the same year, Duke received the rarely awarded and internationally prestigious Award of Honour from the Guild of Air Pilots and Navigator for "his unique incomparable record".