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Hugh Merewether
| Hugh Merewether OBE (deceased) Born in South Africa, he joined the South African Navy during WWII and after secondment to the Royal Navy was taught to fly by the US Navy in 1944. From 1948 to 1953 he worked under Sir Barnes Wallis at Vickers Armstrong in research and development and during this time flew with 615 Squadron on Meteors. After spending a year as a freelance pilot he joined Hawker as a test pilot in 1954 where his aeronautical engineering background led to development flying of the Hunter. He had a deep involvement in a comprehensive inverted spinning programme and all aspects of the Hunter development. In 1967 he became Chief Test Pilot at Hawker and worked extensively on the P.1127 and its derivatives, the Kestrel and the Harrier. While test flying the P.1127 on 30th October 1962 the P.1127 suffered a catastrophic engine failure and fire over West Sussex. Rather than eject, he managed a high-speed glide landing at RAF Tangmere thereby allowing engineers to investigate the cause. In recognition of this feat, Merewether was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air. and later a OBE in 1965. He retired in 1970. sadly Hugh Merewether past away on 13th September 2006. |
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Clipped Signature - Hugh Merewether. Taught to fly by the US Navy in WW2, he joined Hawker as a test pilot in 1954, becoming Chief Test Pilot in 1967. Glide-landed a damaged P.1127 jet at high-speed and was awarded the OBE. He died in 2006. |
First Flight by Gerald Coulson. On July 21st 1951 WB188, the Hawker PIO67 Prototype, made its first flight from Boscombe Down, flown by Hawker Chief Test Pilot and WWII fighter ace, Squadron leader Neville Duke DSO, OBE, DFC**, AFC. This historic aircraft went on to become the Hunter, one of Britains most successful fighter aircraft. Created under the guiding hand of famed Hawker designer Sydney Camm, the PI067 Hunter became the RAFs standard single seat fighter from 1954 until 1960. It was also the first British produced swept-wing fighter to serve in large numbers in the RAF. The maiden flight was successful with only minor problems. Due to the undercarriage light staying on Neville Duke took the decision not to exceed 19,000 ft or 350 knots. The P1067 was Hawkers first application of powered controls but British experience of this was very limited at that time. Consequently the elevator hydraulic power boost was disconnected but the ailerons remained in use.This meant that the pilot struggled to maintain control especially on landing. Neville Duke has fond memories of the aircraft, which has become synonymous with his name: Of the multitude of designs from the board of Sydney Camm over a period of 43 years the Hunter is arguably the most graceful of all. The saying if it looks right it will fly right applies to the Hunter and can be illustrated by the fact that within some ten test flights the aircraft was flying in excess of 700mph, as demonstrated at the SBAC Farnborough Show shortly after the first flight. Sydney Camm proclaimed it to be his most beautiful design and I am not alone in claiming it to be a pilots aeroplane, a view expressed amongst the fighter pilots of the 21 nations who flew this aircraft in operational service up until 1995. Our aim was to give the pilots a fighter without limitations and this unique clearance was obtained. Long may we see them in the air as a tribute to the genius of Sydney Camm and his design team. Some 2000 Hunters were produced in the UK, Holland and Belgium and many more refurbished for 14 nations and returned to service through-out the world. The Hunter continues to serve in non-operational roles in various services and establishments as well as in private hands. WB 188 now resides in the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, West Sussex. This superb release by one of the masters of aviation art, Gerald Coulson, depicts the prototype on its historic first ever flight from Boscombe Down. |
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