Winkle: The Extraordinary Life of Britain’s Greatest Pilot

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The end product is ‘compelling, fascinating and frequently jaw-dropping’ says James Holland and who am I to argue? Sir Winston Churchill first became acquainted with Brown in the early 1940s. “One of the classics was that Churchill came up to Scotland to look at these new Naval fighters, the Martlets, and while flying there he was escorted by three of the squadron aircraft, with Winkle leading,” says Beaver. Brown’s beginnings are charted here, in detail, for the first time. His being a foster child was previously private, but foster parents, previously considered his natural parents, brought stability and love to the growing lad. His father’s ‘colourful’ past, cited by Beaver, provides amusing counterpoint.

Much has been written, and much video interview time expended, and widely available, on the remarkable life of Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown, R.N., perhaps the world most experienced test pilot. Paul Beaver’s new biography adds much to the man’s extraordinary history.It was partly for his service on board Audacity that Brown was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. 6. He tested experimental Nazi planes Having read Wings On My Sleeve, Brown’s autobiography, I was intrigued by the man who wrote it. He focused so much on the aircraft he flew that the were huge question marks in my mind about what formed the man himself. This book (fortunately published not long after I’d read the former) largely answers all my questions and others I hadn’t thought to ask. Beaver recounts the story of a man he regarded as a mentor in unshowy but fascinating detail, and restores a British hero to his rightful place OBSERVER That particular incident took place in the skies above the Bay of Biscay in October 1941. Brown, then only 21, was in his Martlet fighter when he found himself face-to-face with a German Condor bomber, “a flying porcupine, with dangerous weapons facing in every direction”.

The first indication, he says, that some details “didn’t add up” came following Brown’s death in 2016, aged 97. “After he died his family gave me all the papers,” recalls Beaver. “I was the first non-family member they called when he was taken ill in 2016 because we were close. Brown rubbed shoulders with myriad people throughout his life, from “the Royal family to Shirley Bassey to astronauts to German war criminals”. He even performed on stage with the legendary Glenn Miller Orchestra in late 1944. Eric 'Winkle' Brown was Britain's greatest pilot. His extraordinary flying career saw him fight in the Battle of Britain, narrowly escape death on a torpedoed aircraft carrier, achieve a litany of new records and firsts as a test pilot, and fly more kinds of aircraft than any other pilot in history.In the 40 years that I knew our greatest pilot, I always called him Eric, by the way, but of course the world knows him as Winkle, the shortest pilot in the Fleet Air Arm. When Eric was taken ill in 2016, I was the first outside the immediate family he called and so I feel the bond between us was strong. He is a great record-breaker – 487 types of aeroplanes flown – no-one will ever do that again,” says Beaver. Brown flight-tested Luftwaffe aircraft captured by the Allies and was at the forefront of helping to pioneer ground-breaking jet engine technology and chase ever-faster speeds. As Paul said to us, he wanted this book to be about the man, rather than the aircraft, and it’s an extraordinary tale of a talented but complicated man who served his country in many ways. During the war, Brown’s fluency in German and expertise on aircraft made him valuable in interviewing many important figures, including captured German pilots – gathering crucial information about their aircraft, tactics and training. As a fellow airman, he knew the right questions to ask, consequently gaining invaluable insights. Eric 'Winkle' Brown may not be a household name, but he certainly should be, and this thumping great biography by Britain's leading aviation historian deserves to put that right DAILY MAIL 'BOOK OF THE WEEK'