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Aviation History
1946
1946 - 1576.PDF
ifio FLIGHT Britain's ; Test Pilots Eric Greenwood in the cockpit of a DESPITE claims of over 700 m.p.h.,made from time to time by otherpilots, there is little doubt that Eric Greenwood was the first man ever to exceed 600 m.p.h. in level flight, and this is probably true of 500 m.p.h. also. All the other fantastic figures were guessed while doing terminal velocity dives, and when seen in the light of present-da ^ knowledge of transonic flight many ot those figures must have been wildly inaccurate. Eric went straight into the Royal Air Force from school (Wantage) and learnt to fly on Lynx-engined Avros at No. 5 F.T.S. at Sealand in March, 1928. His advanced instructor was F/O L. S. Snaith (now Grp. Capt. Snaith, A.F.C.), who was one of the victorious Schneider Trophy team of 1931. The dual Siskin used at that time for advanced instruc- tion was a wonderful outfit—seen from the back seat. The cockpit coaming was well below shoulder level, the top of the joy stick was in a straight line with one's Adam's apple, and the leading edge of the tailplane tucked neatly into the small of one's back. Having just passed the necessary tests, Greenwood was posted to the famous No. 3 squadron at Upavon $0 fly Hawker Woodcocks, and later Bristol Bulldogs. In September, he -went to C.F.S. (now E.C.F.S.) to take an instructor's course, and, after qualifying, spent the remainder of his short-service commission as an instructor. On leaving the Service he joined Lord Mai colm Douglas Hamilton (now a Group Captain and in charge of the Scottish A.T.C.) in a Scottish joy-riding and charter concern. For operation from the lochs they had a Saro Cloud, with two 220 m.p.h. Wright J4 engines and two D.H. Moths for barn-storming. This Cloud eventually became the nucleus aircraft tor Channel Islands Airways. For Eric this strenuous season ot commercial en- deavour provided an excellent con- version course to the rigours of tivil life. Being at a loose end, and having had long */ An exclusive/.FZi.gW photograph of the kneepad used by Greenwobd wheri'he was clearing the record-breaking Meteor EE 454 forover 600 m.p.h. The note reads 590 m.p.h. at 1,oooft and 606 m.p.h. at 400ft. Thenext set of figures are posi'fion-error trials. No. 13—ERIC GREENWOOD, O.B.E. CHIEF TEST PILOT GLOSTER AIRCRAFT CO. LTD. experience as an instructor, he next took on the job of starting the Penang Flying Club. Three Moth Majors were provided, and the object of the club really was to start a Malayan Air Force. In fact, an auxiliary squadron was started in Singapore. During the two years spent in Penang he put in 2,000 flying hours and flew in Moths all over the Far East. To get sufficient range he fitted an overload tank in .the front seat. When Kingsford Smith was lost, while flying from Akyab to Singapore, Green- wood spent 74 flying hours in a Leopard Moth searching for him over the Bay of Bengal and over the jungle from Tavoy to Alor Star. While he was unsuccessful in the prime cause of his search, he did find Melrose, who was lost while searchihg for Kingsford Smith. It was while he was in the 1930, Crazy flying par excellentJn the instructor- and-pupii event of the R.A.F. dis-play in 1032. The other pilot was F/O. (later WingCdr.) Peter May, who was killed leading the airbornelanding in Sicily.
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