Eric Brown (pilot)
Captain Eric Melrose "Winkle" Brown, CBE, DSC, AFC, Hon FRAeS (21 January 1920 – 21 February 2016) was a British Royal Navy officer and test pilot who flew 487 types of aircraft, more than anyone else in history.
Eric Brown | |
|---|---|
Brown as a lieutenant RNVR, c. 1939-45 | |
| Nickname(s) | Winkle |
| Born | 21 January 1920 Hackney, London, England |
| Died | 21 February 2016 (aged 96) Redhill, Surrey, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1939–1970 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | Second World War
|
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Cross Air Force Cross King's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air |
| Other work |
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Brown held the world record for the most aircraft carrier deck take-offs and landings performed (2,407 and 2,271 respectively) and achieved several "firsts" in naval aviation, including the first landings on an aircraft carrier of a twin-engined aircraft, an aircraft with a tricycle undercarriage, a jet aircraft, and a rotary-wing aircraft.
Brown flew almost every category of Royal Navy and Royal Air Force aircraft: glider, fighter, bomber, airliner, amphibian, flying boat and helicopter. During the Second World War, he flew many types of captured German, Italian, and Japanese aircraft, including new jet and rocket aircraft. He was a pioneer of jet technology into the postwar era.