AN ANCIENT AIR, A BIOGRAPHY OF JOHN STRINGFELLOW OF CHARD, THE VICTORIAN AERONAUTICAL PIONEER

Harald James Penrose O.B.E., CEng,  F.R.Ae.S, A.M.I.N.A. ( April 12th, 1904 - August 31st, 1996 ) was born  in Hereford ( Herefordshire, England ). His fascination with manned  flight started at an early age when his father showed him pictures of  Bleriot's monoplane. He first flew aged 7 in a man - lifting kite at the  dizzying height of 10 ft. His first powered flight was in 1919, in a  modified three seat Avro 504K, piloted by Alan Cobham ( 1894 - 1973 ). When  he left school in 1920 he was unable to find an apprenticeship in the  aircraft industry, so on the advice of Frederick Handley Page he  attended the aeronautical engineering course at Northampton Engineering  College, London University. During a visit to de Havilland he flew in  the prototype Moth as a passenger, piloted by Hubert Broad ( 1897 - 1975  ). As part of his course he undertook industrial placements working for  Handley Page Ltd and Westland Aircraft Ltd. After graduation in  1926, Harald J. Penrose was employed by Westland Aircraft Ltd. He  started work on the shop floor, later working as an observer for the  test pilot Lawrence Openshaw, then as assistant to Captain Geoffrey Hill  ( 1895 - 1955 ) supervising the construction of the Widgeon III  prototype. In 1927, he took 3 months unpaid leave and learned to fly  with Reserve of Air Force Officers ( R.A.F.O. ) at Filton. There he  first flew Bristol P.T.M.'s and later a Bristol Jupiter Fighter. During  this training he met Cyril Uwins ( 1896 - 1972 ) after the latter's  encounter with control reversal in a Bristol Bagshot. Later, Uwins would  mentor Penrose in the science of flight testing and they would become  good friends. On returning to Westlands he was employed working  between the Works and the Design Office. Under the guidance of  Westland's new test pilot, Louis Paget, Harald J. Penrose became  involved in test flying. He gained his A - licence which allowed him to  fly as a private pilot and he flew Widgeons at weekend air displays,  eventually becoming responsible for all Widgeon testing. As Westland's  chief test pilot ( after Louis Paget's accident in 1931 ), Harald J.  Penrose established a number of unusual aviation records in the 1930's.

Prior to flying the twin - engined  fighter Whirlwind ( developed by Westland ), to get experience of  aircraft with high wing loadings and retractable undercarriages, Harald  J. Penrose flew the Spitfire prototype K5054, the Fairey Battle  prototype and a Bristol Blenheim. As a reserve officer in the R.A.F., he  expected to be called up at the start of the Second World War. However,  at 36 years old and with valuable experience of test flying he was  turned down by the R.A.F.'s Personnel Department. Instead, he returned  to Lysander and Whirlwind development. During the war, Harald J.  Penrose was responsible for various aircraft test flying ( Whirlwind,  Spitfire, Lysander and even a captured Messerschmitt Bf 109 ). In the  summer of 1945, he flew a twin - engined jet fighter Gloster Meteor as a  guest of No. 616 Squadron. He described it as ’ far easier and safer  machine than that superb fighter the Spitfire ’. But the experience was  marred during landing by uncertainty that the undercarriage had locked  down while simultaneously running low on fuel.

After the war, Harald J. Penrose led the  flight testing of the Westland Wyvern ( which proved to be so lethal  than any other contemporary aircraft ). In 1953, after 25 years of test,  Harald J. Penrose retired from the role of chief test pilot to take  over Westland's helicopter sales. He also demonstrated a talent for  writing at an early age, winning his school's premier prize for  literature. His early books drew on personal experiences, such as I Flew  with the Birds ( 1949 ), No Echo in the Sky ( 1958 ) and Airymouse (  1967 ). In his later works he wrote about the history of the British  aircraft industry : Architect of Wings ( 1985 ), a biography of the Avro  designer Roy Chadwick and a five - volume history of British aviation. ( source : Wikipedia )