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Neville Browning

Anyone have a pic of Neville Browning – the barnstormer and display pilot of the 1960s and seventies?… I’m in need of one for a friend, not for any commercial use! According to Barry Tempest, who I have already been in con act with – ‘He died at Seething, Norfolk in his Zlin 326 while doing a half reverse Cuban in very poor visibility giving him a false low horizon so he did not achieve enough height before pulling around the 5/8th of a positive loop, without enough height to complete the figure. He would have died instantly. It was a practice flight before the display on the following day.
Neville had flown with the Barnstormers on many occasions in the Zlin, which was the first of the type in the UK. A great showman, however he came unstuck at Tollerton after one of our displays, on his departure for home. He had a habit of rolling inverted immediately after takeoff at around 20 feet agl while raising the undercarriage. On this occasion he did it and the engine stopped just after his half roll. With the gear up he just had time to roll upright and land with an expensive scraping noise. I am not sure but I think his dog may have bit him after the ‘landing’. Neville had failed to check the fuel was on before take off and it ran out at a most inopportune moment. Expensive,,, you bet.’

Any help is greatly appreciated!

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By: Skybolt - 24th December 2016 at 16:11

Neville Browning

What a remarkable photograph. Poor old Neville knew what was coming but at least it stopped all the agonising and on-going pain from his acute arthritis.
There was a wonderful story, possibly apocryphal, of his spinning into the roof of the officers mess on his first solo in an Avro 504 when he attempted a loop. Can anyone confirm or deny………?????
Cheers and a great Christmas to one and all plus a great New Year in 2017.
:eagerness:

There is a scan of a newspaper report of the crash here with a picture of NB. scroll to the very end

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Ccy8AAAAQBAJ&pg=PR22&lpg=PR22&dq=neville+browning+stapleford+tawney&source=bl&ots=vhhxwLdZoA&sig=ZGaQ4o5ECIDtekx7X80oyBVDk3c&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwikjf-XxIPRAhVFPBoKHf5qBd0Q6AEIQDAE#v=onepage&q=neville%20browning%20stapleford%20tawney&f=false

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By: GrahamSimons - 23rd December 2016 at 07:36

MANY THANKS FOLKS! And seasons greetings to all!!

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By: Trolly Aux - 22nd December 2016 at 14:33

When I was a kid I used to watch him flying at his home strip lots of inverted stuff right from the off, never thought it was dangerous then it was fun for us kids just fishing in the river at Shonks Mill

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By: G-ORDY - 22nd December 2016 at 11:15

Here you go Graham. Broxbourne 1949 with the Miles Mohawk G-AEKW for company!

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