33:
536:, ended in divorce. His fourth wife, Heather Danby, predeceased him in 1988. When Twiss died on 31 August 2011, he was survived by his fifth wife, Jane de Lucey. Twiss had a son, three daughters and several stepchildren.
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450:, a supersonic delta-winged research plane. On 17 November 1955, the FD2 suffered engine failure and consequently hydraulic power loss on a test flight, but Twiss managed to crash-land at Boscombe Down. He received the
233:, Sussex and lived with his grandmother while his parents were in India and Burma. He was the grandson of an admiral and the son of Colonel Dudley Cyril Twiss an army officer. Twiss went to school at
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landings in North Africa. During the Allied landings in
Algeria and Morocco, he added a bar to his DSC, gazetted in March 1943. By this time, he had shot down one Italian aircraft (a
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Later in 1944, he was sent to the
British Air Commission Washington DC, where he tested various prototype aircraft and evaluated airborne radar equipment. He also served at the
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474:, a helicopter manufacturer, which was not Twiss's area of expertise. Twiss left after a career in which he had piloted more than 140 different types of aircraft. Twiss joined
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484:, driving one of the company's speedboats. His work as a marine consultant led to directorships of Fairey Marine (1968–78) and Hamble Point Marina (1978–88).
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as a twin conversion. He was then posted to 771 Squadron in the Orkney
Islands, flying a variety of naval aircraft on various duties, including
458:, raising it to 1,132 mph (1811 km/h), an increase of some 300 mph (480 km/h) over the record set the year before by an
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321:. These missions required the pilot to ditch or bale out, in the expectation of being recovered by a passing ship. During the
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observations at 12000 ft in winter in the open cockpit of a Fairey
Swordfish, and target-towing duties.
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367:. Ford also acted as an operational research unit and so Twiss flew missions over occupied Europe, in
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in 1960 and was responsible for the development and sales of day-cruisers. He appeared in the film
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Twiss was married five times. His first three marriages, to
Constance Tomkinson, Vera Maguire and
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for this feat. The aircraft was repaired and, flying it on 10 March 1956, Twiss broke the
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as a test pilot and flew many of the company's aircraft, including the
266:. After training at 14 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School,
217:(23 July 1921 – 31 August 2011) was a British test pilot who held the
37:
Twiss (Right) at
Buckingham Palace during Investiture, 6 April 1943
337:(DSC) in June 1942. Later in the year, the squadron converted to
730:
Concept
Aircraft: Prototypes, X-Planes and Experimental Aircraft
245:
in London, before returning to the family farm near
Salisbury.
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Recipients of the
Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air
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He then flew long-range intruder operations over Germany from
375:, so putting the unit's theory into practice. He claimed two
294:. His next posting was at the School of Army Co-operation at
241:. In 1938, he was employed as an apprentice tea-taster by
767:. HMSO for The Empire Test Pilots' School: 68 pp. 1968.
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The Empire Test Pilots' School — Twenty Five Years
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Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air
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Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air
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761:The Empire Test Pilots' School – Twenty Five Years
363:, developing night fighter tactics with the RAF's
400:Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment
84:and being the first person to exceed 1,000
732:. Rochester, Kent, UK: Grange books plc, 2005.
655:. Flight Global. 23 March 1956. Archived from
598:"Obituary: Lieutenant-Commander Peter Twiss".
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577:
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444:winning the high-speed race at 305.93 mph
686:"First 1,000 mph air speed record pilot dies"
637:(Supplement). 18 February 1955. p. 1094.
438:compound-helicopter. In 1947, he entered the
398:. and then went to the Naval Squadron at the
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524:was published in 1963, and revised in 2005.
386:, Maryland. By the end of the war, he was a
843:Officers of the Order of the British Empire
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516:. Twiss was for several years a member of
390:. In 1945, he attended No. 3 Course at the
129:Officer of the Order of the British Empire
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20:
747:. London: Grub Street Publishing, 2000.
868:Fleet Air Arm personnel of World War II
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278:. He underwent operational training at
333:. For his service, he was awarded the
779:BBC article on record breaking flight
470:In 1960, Fairey Aviation was sold to
356:on 14 May 1942) and damaged another.
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329:with 807 Squadron, from the carrier
848:People educated at Sherborne School
853:People from Lindfield, West Sussex
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446:. He worked for two years on the
384:Naval Air Station Patuxent River
883:British aviation record holders
784:Peter Twiss Faster than the Sun
506:. He also appeared in the film
442:Air Races flying a Firefly IV,
16:British test pilot (1921–2011)
1:
496:Round Britain Powerboat Race
828:British World War II pilots
498:, including among his crew
335:Distinguished Service Cross
258:Rejected as a pilot by the
105:Distinguished Service Cross
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715:Fairey Aircraft since 1915
392:Empire Test Pilots' School
311:Merchant Ship Fighter Unit
878:Segrave Trophy recipients
365:Fighter Interception Unit
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135:
30:
818:Britannia Trophy winners
717:. London: Putnam, 1974.
561:"Peter Twiss Obituary".
309:He then served with the
833:Fairey Aviation Company
765:ETPS Brochure (4th Ed.)
379:shot down during 1944.
838:Fleet Air Arm aviators
518:Lasham Gliding Society
494:, he took part in the
414:In 1946, Twiss joined
394:(ETPS), then based at
373:de Havilland Mosquitos
219:World Air Speed Record
82:World Air Speed Record
57:Lindfield, West Sussex
512:, in which he flew a
487:In 1969, driving the
481:From Russia with Love
649:"Getting the Record"
520:. His autobiography
388:lieutenant commander
369:Bristol Beaufighters
339:Supermarine Seafires
270:, he went on to fly
187:Lieutenant Commander
863:Royal Navy officers
823:British test pilots
745:Faster than the Sun
674:. 2 September 2011.
659:on 2 November 2012.
602:. 2 September 2011.
600:The Daily Telegraph
584:Brief autobiography
565:. 2 September 2011.
522:Faster Than the Sun
692:. 1 September 2011
634:The London Gazette
456:World Speed Record
292:Gloster Gladiators
199:Lionel Peter Twiss
146:Lionel Peter Twiss
728:Winchester, Jim.
509:Sink the Bismarck
472:Westland Aircraft
460:F-100 Super Sabre
325:in 1942, he flew
319:Hawker Hurricanes
300:Bristol Blenheims
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119:Britannia Trophy
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416:Fairey Aviation
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350:Operation Torch
288:Blackburn Skuas
268:Castle Bromwich
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249:Aviation career
229:He was born in
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137:Aviation career
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773:External links
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713:Taylor, H. A.
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448:Fairey Delta 2
432:Fairey Delta 1
428:Fairey Firefly
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377:Junkers Ju 88s
327:Fairey Fulmars
315:catapult ships
284:Blackburn Rocs
280:RNAS Yeovilton
272:Fairey Battles
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72:(aged 90)
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694:. Retrieved
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670:"Obituary".
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563:The Guardian
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88:(1,600
70:(2011-08-31)
53:23 July 1921
18:
813:2011 deaths
808:1921 births
789:Peter Twiss
696:1 September
629:"No. 40413"
504:Roger Clark
243:Brooke Bond
96:) in flight
92:; 870
25:Peter Twiss
802:Categories
540:References
354:Fiat CR.42
225:Early life
49:1921-07-23
672:The Times
502:champion
361:RNAS Ford
343:HMS
331:HMS Argus
298:, flying
231:Lindfield
221:in 1956.
151:Air force
143:Full name
59:, England
690:BBC News
434:and the
348:for the
254:Military
345:Furious
317:flying
296:Andover
282:flying
161:Battles
751:
736:
721:
440:Lympne
212:&
131:(1957)
126:(1956)
121:(1956)
116:(1955)
111:(1943)
101:Awards
500:Rally
410:Civil
208:
206:,
793:IMDb
749:ISBN
734:ISBN
719:ISBN
698:2011
371:and
290:and
274:and
183:Rank
90:km/h
65:Died
43:Born
791:at
763:".
402:at
313:on
304:met
214:Bar
210:DSC
203:OBE
109:Bar
86:mph
804::
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651:.
631:.
590:^
574:^
547:^
430:,
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422:,
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286:,
94:kn
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51:)
47:(
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