Neil W
Ah Neil! I was in FTI at Handley Page when he joined as a TP on the Jetstream programme. I actually flew with him in a Hastings – Neil in the left-hand seat and John Tank in the right-hand seat. He also brought a Zlin Trener to Radlett one day and stopped all work at the Park Street end by practising aerobatics in mid-afternoon (he was European champion at the time). He was recalled part way throught the routine and requested to do such things out of hours! He went up again after five o’clock and started again but this time, part way through the routine, the L/H udercarriage up-lock failed and he had to land back.
A lovely story is that when we were out in Pau with the Jetstream, he found a small grass airfield not too far away and asked if he could fly a few aeros in their Stompe. The rather pompous CFI, not knowing who he was, agreed but said he would show him the ropes first and then would let Neil have a go. Neil promptly went through his full competition display and when they landed the only two words the somewhat shaken CFI could utter were Merveilleux, Fantastique!
Lynne, his second wife, was also an FTI engineer at HP, although more senior than me. A great lady.
Both sadly missed
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