http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...n-winkle-brown

A truly staggering story the man appears to have lived enough for several life times the highlights are :-


Rode the wall of death as a teenager

Went to the berlin Olympics in 1936 as a teenager and watched Hitler shake hands with Jesse Owens

Was flown by the second best German air ace of WW1 Ernst Udet who told him to learn German and learn how to fly

Attend a Nuremberg Rally

Revisited Germany after university as part of diplomatic core in 1939 arrested by the SS and thrown out when war started.

Joined the fleet air arm and got torpedoed and was one of the only two survivors.

First pilot ever to land mosquito on an aircraft carrier (twice the weight of anything else ever attempted).

First pilot Ever to land a jet on an aircraft carrier (Vampire).

Got bombed by a V1 and aided in the attempts to bring them down

One of the first service men to enter Belsen and interrogated the infamous female guard Irma Grese

Interrogated Herman Goering.

Flew several German experimental war time jets including Meschersmitt me262 and me163.

As a test pilot he flew 487 separate aircraft types during his career a world record that will Never be bettered.

Started his career flying in the bi plane Gladiator and finished in the Buccaner jet.

Survived all this and is still around at the age of 95

 

They just don't make them like they used to

 

 

Respect.
I hope he makes an update of his life with some more tales that he didnt reveal in another five years.
All the best mate, thanks from worcestershire.

 

I really enjoyed watching this programme. True living legend, without whom the human race would be nothing.

I would be honoured to worship any ground that he walks upon.....

 

I'm not the biggest fan of war related documentaries, but sat watching that programme utterly gobsmacked.

I remember in one of the adverts flicking though the channels and seeing an advert for TOWIE type nonsense and thinking that the contrast between these two programmes was as good a summary of "where we've come from" to "where we've arrived at" in terms of what is lauded in society as you're likely to find.

That thought made me a bit queasy!!

 

If we wait 5 years he'll have scaled Everest, beaten kim yong un and Bashar al assad to a bloody pulp, made Putin withdraw from the Ukraine and made chuck Norris his permanent bitch !!!

 

You've captured all that's wrong with the country today - making heroes out of people who are not worthy!

 

I'd be surprised if our armed forces had that many serviceable aircraft these days, never mind different types.

Wiki lists them all: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_United_Kingdom_military_aircraft

 

sadly to old guy has died aged 96

RIP Eric 'Winkle' Brown

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-35626854

 

R.I.P.

 

RIP, absolute legend and extremely modest guy considering his bravery.