Captain Eric Brown

[tillson]

I saw an announcement on the BBC news last night that Captain Eric Brown had died aged 97. A great man who had lived out several lifetimes of excitement and adventure during his 97 years. I can't ever imagine circumstances producing another man like Eric Brown in the future. The much overused phrase, he was a one off, is highly applicable in this case. There should be a statue of him erected.

About four years ago, I had the great honour of spending an evening chatting with him. At the age of 93, he had just stood and talked for over two hours about a fraction of his life. He had no notes or prompts and he was totally spell binding. He was then generous enough to talk to me on a one to one basis afterwards.

His book, Wings on my Sleeve, should be on the school curriculum. The qualities that this man possessed should be those which people aspire too, not those of the current crop of plastic women useless male reality tv stars.

Anyone interested in aviation and adventure will enjoy his book.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Brown_(pilot)

 

[oldtom]

Eric Brown - A great man who had lived out several lifetimes of excitement and adventure during his 97 years. I can't ever imagine circumstances producing another man like Eric Brown in the future.

What a wonderful life he led and it appears he was one of life's real gentlemen.

When I first glanced at the thread title, I immediately thought of Eric Brown the golfer but I quickly realised he wasn't entitled Captain; plus, he died quite a few years ago.

Nonetheless, Eric Brown the golfer, also a Scot, was one of the stars of the British golf scene for many years and featured in 4 Ryder Cups. Brown wore his heart on his sleeve, called a spade a spade and didn't suffer fools gladly. That is probably why the Americans really wound him up, taking nearly 5 hours to play a practice two-ball round St Andrews which he and John Panton could whizz round in under 3 hours and still post a respectable score.

Peter Alliss, the well-known commentator, has lots of stories about his contemporaries from way back and Eric Brown features in many of his tales.

Okay, the golfer wasn't a flying ace and golfing exploits hardly qualify as heroic deeds but he was a competitor in a hugely combative arena, up against the finest golfers in the world half a century ago.

Tom

 

[flecc]

Not in any way wanting to devalue the amazing life of Captain Eric Brown, I just observe that opportunity comes into it. What he did in his lifetime is no longer possible now due to greatly changed circumstances.

I suppose the nearest possible now is an air force pilot career culminating in being an astronaut going into space, but even that has all been done before many times.
.

 

[tillson]

Not in any way wanting to devalue the amazing life of Captain Eric Brown, I just observe that opportunity comes into it. What he did in his lifetime is no longer possible now due to greatly changed circumstances.

I suppose the nearest possible now is an air force pilot career culminating in being an astronaut going into space, but even that has all been done before many times.
.

I think you are right. I'm sure there are young people today with sufficient skill and character to emulate Captain Brown's achievements. If the circumstances don't align for them, we will never know what they were capable of. He makes the point quite prominently that a major part of what he achieved was as a result of being born into the right family at the right time. Something which is down to luck and which we have no influence over. He just maximised his opportunities.

 

[Wicky]

Coincidently just finished reading his book - a very cool, hard working, methodlical & professional pilot.

He flew planes I didn't know existed and only just got out of some scrapes - particuly the sinking of his carrier and another when he was training postwar Luftwaffe pilots and during an instrument landing his student got disoriented and inverted just above the runway neccessitaing his quick intervention!

Certainly made of the Right Stuff'!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wings-My-Sleeve-Worlds-Greatest/dp/0753822091/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1456143621&sr=1-1&keywords=wing+on+my+sleeve

RIP

 

[tillson]

His exploits are too numerous to do them all justice, but I particularly liked his approach to risk, or rather his risk management. It seemed like he never considered a risk to be a chance happening, rather a potential event which he would think through and have a plan to mitigate the danger. He said that was what had kept him alive. A very brave man though.

 

[flecc]

His exploits are too numerous to do them all justice, but I particularly liked his approach to risk, or rather his risk management. It seemed like he never considered a risk to be a chance happening, rather a potential event which he would think through and have a plan to mitigate the danger. He said that was what had kept him alive. A very brave man though.

Which would make him a good road user, particularly as a cyclist. That's through knowing that accidents don't just happen and aren't a matter of luck, but are events we contribute to.
.

 

[lectureral]

I read his obit in the Times yesterday - here it is for those who would like to see it (don't think the Times would mind)

 

[oldtom]

Although Captain Brown's death was marked in February, the Fleet Air Arm have finally got round to honouring him with a memorial flying display.

Here is the link: http://forces.tv/00946808

Tom

 

[oldgroaner]

Typical of Eric's thinking was when he flew the ME163 comet rocket fighter and made sure to land with an empty fuel tank they were prone to blow up on a bumpy landing.
He was the greatest test pilot of all time

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