Neville Duke
Neville Frederick Duke (born January 11, 1922 in Tonbridge , Great Britain - † April 8, 2007 ) was a British fighter pilot of World War II and later test pilot .
He joined the Royal Air Force as a cadet in 1940 . In April 1941 it was used in No. 92 Squadron at Biggin Hill, which had just been equipped with a Supermarine Spitfire Mk. By the end of August 1941, he had two kills. Biggin Hill Squadron's commander, Wing Commander Malan, made him his wingman. He then served in the 112th and 145th Fighter Squadron and from 1943 to 1944 as Chief Flying Instructor at the 73rd Operational Training Unit in Egypt. He flew the Spitfire, Tomahawk and Kittyhawk and achieved 28 aerial victories. After the war he became a test pilot at the Hawker Aircraft Works and was their chief test pilot from 1951 to 1956 . In 1951 he made the maiden flight with the Hawker Hunter . With 1171 km / h he set a new world speed record on this type of aircraft in 1953, which was previously held by a Messerschmitt Me 163 . He also held the world records of the London – Rome and London – Karachi (1949) and London – Cairo (1950) routes.
In 1942 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and in 1953 the Order of the British Empire .
He edited several books: Sound barrier and Test pilot (1953), Book of flying (1954) and Book of flight (1958).
literature
- Neville Duke (with Alan W. Mitchell): Test pilot . Grub Street Publishing, London 1992. ISBN 0-948817-63-1 (autobiography)
- Norman Franks (Ed.): The war diaries of Neville Duke. The journals of Squadron Leader NF Duke, DSO, OBE, DFC & 2 Bars, AFC, MC (Cz), 1941-44 . Grub Street Publishing, London 1995. ISBN 1-898697-16-7
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dr. Alfred Price, Spitfire Mark V Aces 1941-45, p. 81.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Duke, Neville |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Duke, Neville Frederick (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British test pilot |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 11, 1922 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Tonbridge |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 8, 2007 |