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a Vulcan at the top of the post-take-off climb; although safe, he was rebuked for this manoeuvre by the organisers, but only because performing aerobatics in an aircraft weighing 69 tons and with a 99-foot wingspan was "not the done thing"!
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came in handy in what was seen as advanced and dangerous test flying. After testing the Avro 707, Falk made the first flight of the prototype Vulcan from
Woodford Aerodrome on 30 August 1952.
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Falk had been a member of the
Reserve of Air Force Officers since 1935 and at the start of the Second World War in 1939 he joined the Royal Air Force. By 1943 he was chief test pilot at the
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Farnborough. At
Farnborough he flew and tested captured German aircraft as well as carrying out operational flights with night fighter squadrons. For his service he was awarded the
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X LN817. Falk recovered and became Chief Test Pilot with A V Roe in 1950. He soon embarked on one of the most important jobs of his career, test flying the
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Falk demonstrated the Vulcan on several occasions and designed much of the cockpit layout. During the 1955
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He had married the daughter of former Avro test pilot Sydney "Bill" Thorn. The couple had two children.
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Falk was born in London in 1915, the second son of Diana
Gwendoline Edith Cecil (née Stracey) and
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for the press. In 1937 he flew a newspaper service from London to Paris and then joined the
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as Chief
Experimental Test Pilot but was seriously injured in an accident at
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noted for being at the controls on the maiden flight of the
British
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325:"Mr Roland Falk - Delta wing aircraft test pilot". Obituaries.
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Falk died in Jersey on 23 February 1985, at the age of 69.
329:. No. 62076. London. 2 March 1985. col G, p. 10.
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Hamilton-Paterson, James (2010), "Death at
Farnborough",
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Hamilton-Paterson, James (2010), "Death at
Farnborough",
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airfield while testing new reverse pitch propellers on
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448:Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
182:twice, described as the Air Force Cross and bar.
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245:in 1958 and became a sales representative for
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210:bomber, Falk's experience flying the German
438:Officers of the Order of the British Empire
365:"Guest Blog: An Me 262 Personal Connection"
231:Officer of the Order of the British Empire
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428:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
190:At the end of the war in 1946 he joined
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443:Military personnel from London
388:Barrel-rolling the Avro Vulcan
16:British test pilot (1915–1985)
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152:de Havilland Technical School
176:Royal Aircraft Establishment
118:(1915 - 1985) was a British
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146:, and he was educated at
57:23 February 1985, aged 69
423:Royal Air Force officers
110:Roland "Roly" John Falk
164:Air Registration Board
342:Empire of the Clouds
278:Empire of the Clouds
263:Notes and references
229:He was appointed an
212:Messerschmitt Me 163
418:English test pilots
382:Roly Falk biography
344:, Faber and Faber,
219:Farnborough Airshow
144:Oswald Toynbee Falk
241:Falk retired from
200:Vickers Wellington
192:Vickers-Armstrongs
186:Delta-wing testing
351:978-0-571-24794-3
287:978-0-571-24794-3
166:as a test pilot.
160:Spanish Civil War
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367:. 24 March 2015.
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76:Other names
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208:Avro Vulcan
128:Avro Vulcan
98:Avro Vulcan
68:Nationality
25:"Roly" Falk
402:Categories
237:Later life
138:Early life
120:test pilot
88:Test pilot
84:Occupation
327:The Times
233:in 1952.
134:and tie.
204:Avro 707
158:and the
150:and the
124:V bomber
393:YouTube
100:testing
71:British
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251:Jersey
196:Wisley
126:, the
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346:ISBN
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243:Avro
116:AFC*
54:Died
45:1915
42:Born
34:AFC*
391:on
221:he
113:OBE
30:OBE
404::
295:^
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