Heads up - "Winkle Brown" on TV tonight

[AES]

I know I'm not the only aeroplane nut on here, so for those similarly afflicted, note that BBC 2 (London) at 19.00 UK time tonight, they're doing an hour-long documentary on RN Captain "Winkle" Brown who's just died aged 90-odd.

For those who didn't know, he was a long time test pilot (not only naval aircraft), flew many WW2 German types, made the first ever jet fighter landing on an aircraft carrier, had something well over 400 different aircraft types in his Logbook, seemed to be a thoroughly "decent" & modest individual, had quite a lot to do with the re-birth of the Luftwaffe after WW2, met Goering and Galland and many others - and, and, and ..........

AES

 

[Wildman]

not on in the SW, thats a shame

 

[bugbear]

not on in the SW, thats a shame

Iplayer?

BTW, "heads up" is very appropriate!

BugBear

 

[Bod]

Hope we can watch in Hampshire.

Bod

 

[Harbo]

I wonder if this is a repeat of one they showed a while ago but well worth watching again?
He was an amazing man and was incredibly lucky going by the death rate of other test pilots.

Rod

 

[mailee]

Oh what a shame he has died. brilliant guy and has a very interesting history. Thanks for the heads up. Watching it now. :wink:

 

[colinc]

Hi,

I was fortunate enough to have met him at an RAeS event a couple of years ago and you couldn't meet a nicer guy but equally you cannot fail to be impressed by his story.

From his flying stories to his recollections of entering the concentration camps he came across as a man who had lived life to the full. Personally I am very sad that the campaign to get him a knighthood never came to anything because if ever there was a man deserving of it, Wingle Brown was him. Amazing really that they can knight a man like Saville yet exclude Captain Brown.

The TV program really only scrapes the surface of his story, I wholeheartedly recommend his book called 'Wings on my sleeve' to anyone interested in the history of the wartime and postwartime period of aviation.

Regards, Colin

 

[AES]

Thanks for that colinc.

I too have read "Wings on my Sleeve" and was, frankly, a little disappointed that the TV programme (which I hadn't seen before) skipped over a lot of his history - it was OK as far as it went, but, chronologically speaking, there was a big jump from the late 1940's/early '50's (DH 108, etc) to the late 1960's/early '70's (Buccaneer), especially the time he spent at Farnborough during WW2 evaluating all sorts of captured enemy aircraft; and the time he spent in Germany after WW2. But I guess you can't have everything in a one hour programme.

You're lucky to have met him and just as you say, for anyone interested, his book is well worth reading.

+1 on your comments, thanks.

AES

 

[AES]

@colinc:
As a P.S. to my last post, above, I agree with you about the knighthood for Capt. Brown, but I also belong to an aviation forum where someone who appeared to be in the know recently posted that he was indeed offered a knighthood but turned it down.

I have no idea how true that may be.

AES