257:
149:
35:
411:
to turn a blind eye to what I had in mind. I wrote to him beforehand and asked him if he would be prepared to take me aboard in the event of sudden engine trouble. He at once saw what I was after, of course, and was good sport enough to go along with it. He suggested that it might be a good idea if
444:
Just for a laugh I asked him to test my old Bell
Airacobra, which I had been using for so many hops around the country. He took off, did one very quick circuit, and came back ashed-faced. 'I have never,' he said, 'flown in an aeroplane in such an advanced state of decay. This machine should be
400:
I had already collected a few 'firsts' in aviation, and I rather wanted to be the first pilot to put a tricycle aircraft down on a flight deck. The
Airacobra was not officially cleared for such a landing, but the boffins had told me privately that it would probably take the
414:
Strangely enough it did. I began my approach, then, just for the record, called up the ship and complained that my engine was running rough. Would they accept me? Back came
Captain John's instant 'affirmative'. I put the hook down, and caught the wire with no trouble at
419:
The trouble started when the time came to take off, as the
Airacobra had a long take-off run—which was one of the reasons behind the type's rejection by the RAF—and 'Winkle' only managed to get airborne because
584:
748:
256:
166:
59:
of the topic and provide significant coverage of it beyond a mere trivial mention. If notability cannot be shown, the article is likely to be
722:
555:
449:
forthwith.' So, on 28th March, I went up for a last aerobatic session in her, then bade a sentimental farewell. The last laugh was on me.
577:
213:
111:
232:
130:
185:
83:
56:
192:
90:
570:
170:
52:
743:
199:
97:
68:
753:
181:
79:
159:
688:
379:
262:
45:
64:
433:
372:
349:
206:
104:
60:
672:
667:
655:
650:
645:
638:
628:
623:
611:
596:
437:
315:
278:
375:
551:
454:
337:
737:
593:
508:
505:
386:
285:
323:
403:
This was not on the official programme at all, but I hoped that I could persuade
404:
390:
148:
369:
319:
562:
660:
633:
616:
389:—due to a declared emergency during initial trials for landings on
484:(Compiled by Wolverhampton Aviation Group). Retrieved: 4 December 2011.
453:
AH574 was duly scrapped shortly afterward, and Brown was later given a
385:—the first carrier landing made by an aircraft with retractable
396:
In his autobiography, Captain Brown described the circumstances thus:
17:
548:
Wings On My Sleeve: The World's
Greatest Test Pilot tells his Story
446:
51:
Please help to demonstrate the notability of the topic by citing
566:
142:
28:
478:
340:(RAF) as part of the Airacobra I serial number block
352:). When the Airacobra type was rejected by the RAF,
715:
697:
681:
604:
299:
294:
284:
274:
269:
247:
173:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
432:In March 1946, a visiting Bell test pilot oversaw
356:was transferred to the Royal Navy for test work.
412:my engine trouble occurred on my last approach.
578:
8:
514:17 January 2008. Retrieved: 4 December 2011.
424:was steaming full speed ahead at the time.
585:
571:
563:
479:"UK Military Aircraft Serial Allocations."
244:
233:Learn how and when to remove this message
131:Learn how and when to remove this message
492:
490:
471:
336:was initially ordered in 1940 for the
723:2022 Dallas airshow mid-air collision
368:became part of aviation history when
7:
171:adding citations to reliable sources
749:1940s British experimental aircraft
322:for test work during and after the
25:
436:experiments being conducted with
378:landed it on the flight deck of
255:
147:
33:
158:needs additional citations for
44:may not meet Knowledge (XXG)'s
1:
550:. London: Orion Books. 2006.
393:planned for future carriers.
46:general notability guideline
770:
53:reliable secondary sources
42:The topic of this article
689:Blue Yonder EZ King Cobra
509:"RAF - No. 601 Squadron."
482:UK Serial Resource Centre
254:
182:"Bell Airacobra I AH574"
80:"Bell Airacobra I AH574"
716:Accidents and incidents
512:Traces of World War 2,
451:
417:
442:
398:
438:Bell P-63 Kingcobras
350:No. 601 Squadron RAF
167:improve this article
744:Individual aircraft
532:Brown 2006, p. 149.
523:Brown 2006, p. 145.
405:Captain Caspar John
376:Eric "Winkle" Brown
270:General information
263:HMS Pretoria Castle
496:Brown 2006, p. 93.
457:as a replacement.
48:
754:Low-wing aircraft
731:
730:
556:978-0-297-84565-2
364:On 4 April 1945,
307:
306:
243:
242:
235:
217:
141:
140:
133:
115:
43:
16:(Redirected from
761:
698:Notable aircraft
587:
580:
573:
564:
533:
530:
524:
521:
515:
506:Droog, Bart F.M.
503:
497:
494:
485:
476:
324:Second World War
316:Bell Airacobra I
279:Bell Airacobra I
259:
245:
238:
231:
227:
224:
218:
216:
175:
151:
143:
136:
129:
125:
122:
116:
114:
73:
37:
36:
29:
21:
769:
768:
764:
763:
762:
760:
759:
758:
734:
733:
732:
727:
711:
693:
677:
600:
591:
561:
537:
536:
531:
527:
522:
518:
504:
500:
495:
488:
477:
473:
463:
455:Fieseler Storch
430:
422:Pretoria Castle
413:
409:Pretoria Castle
402:
382:Pretoria Castle
362:
338:Royal Air Force
331:
329:Initial history
265:
239:
228:
222:
219:
176:
174:
164:
152:
137:
126:
120:
117:
74:
72:
50:
38:
34:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
767:
765:
757:
756:
751:
746:
736:
735:
729:
728:
726:
725:
719:
717:
713:
712:
710:
709:
701:
699:
695:
694:
692:
691:
685:
683:
679:
678:
676:
675:
670:
664:
663:
658:
653:
648:
642:
641:
636:
631:
626:
621:
620:
619:
608:
606:
602:
601:
597:P-39 Airacobra
592:
590:
589:
582:
575:
567:
560:
559:
543:
542:
541:
535:
534:
525:
516:
498:
486:
470:
469:
468:
467:
462:
459:
429:
426:
361:
358:
330:
327:
305:
304:
303:Scrapped, 1946
301:
297:
296:
292:
291:
288:
282:
281:
276:
272:
271:
267:
266:
261:AH574 onboard
260:
252:
251:
241:
240:
155:
153:
146:
139:
138:
41:
39:
32:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
766:
755:
752:
750:
747:
745:
742:
741:
739:
724:
721:
720:
718:
714:
708:
707:
703:
702:
700:
696:
690:
687:
686:
684:
680:
674:
671:
669:
666:
665:
662:
659:
657:
654:
652:
649:
647:
644:
643:
640:
637:
635:
632:
630:
627:
625:
622:
618:
615:
614:
613:
610:
609:
607:
603:
598:
595:
588:
583:
581:
576:
574:
569:
568:
565:
557:
553:
549:
546:Brown, Eric.
545:
544:
539:
538:
529:
526:
520:
517:
513:
510:
507:
502:
499:
493:
491:
487:
483:
480:
475:
472:
465:
464:
460:
458:
456:
450:
448:
441:
439:
435:
427:
425:
423:
416:
410:
406:
397:
394:
392:
388:
387:tricycle gear
384:
383:
377:
374:
371:
367:
359:
357:
355:
351:
347:
343:
339:
335:
328:
326:
325:
321:
317:
313:
312:
302:
298:
293:
289:
287:
283:
280:
277:
273:
268:
264:
258:
253:
250:
246:
237:
234:
226:
215:
212:
208:
205:
201:
198:
194:
191:
187:
184: –
183:
179:
178:Find sources:
172:
168:
162:
161:
156:This article
154:
150:
145:
144:
135:
132:
124:
113:
110:
106:
103:
99:
96:
92:
89:
85:
82: –
81:
77:
76:Find sources:
70:
66:
62:
58:
54:
47:
40:
31:
30:
27:
19:
705:
704:
547:
540:Bibliography
528:
519:
511:
501:
481:
474:
452:
443:
434:laminar flow
431:
421:
418:
408:
399:
395:
391:rubber decks
381:
365:
363:
353:
345:
341:
333:
332:
318:used by the
310:
309:
308:
248:
229:
223:January 2010
220:
210:
203:
196:
189:
177:
165:Please help
160:verification
157:
127:
118:
108:
101:
94:
87:
75:
26:
57:independent
738:Categories
461:References
370:test pilot
320:Royal Navy
193:newspapers
121:March 2023
91:newspapers
65:redirected
668:Airacobra
360:Test work
55:that are
682:Replicas
605:Aircraft
447:scrapped
673:Caribou
407:of the
401:strain.
373:Captain
344:–
295:History
207:scholar
105:scholar
69:deleted
651:F2L-1K
599:family
554:
314:was a
286:Serial
209:
202:
195:
188:
180:
107:
100:
93:
86:
78:
61:merged
706:AH574
639:P-400
466:Notes
366:AH574
354:AH574
346:AH739
342:AH570
334:AH574
311:AH574
290:AH574
249:AH574
214:JSTOR
200:books
112:JSTOR
98:books
67:, or
18:AH574
661:L-39
634:P-76
629:P-63
624:P-45
612:P-39
594:Bell
552:ISBN
428:Fate
415:all.
380:HMS
300:Fate
275:Type
186:news
84:news
656:TDL
169:by
740::
646:FL
489:^
63:,
617:E
586:e
579:t
572:v
558:.
440:.
348:(
236:)
230:(
225:)
221:(
211:·
204:·
197:·
190:·
163:.
134:)
128:(
123:)
119:(
109:·
102:·
95:·
88:·
71:.
49:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
