John Fairey
John Stephen Fairey | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1935-04-21)21 April 1935 Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire |
| Died | 8 July 2009(2009-07-08) (aged 74) Bishop Norton, Lincolnshire |
| Cause of death | Aircraft crash |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse | Beverley Halford |
| Relatives | Sir Charles Richard Fairey |
| Aviation career | |
| Full name | John Stephen Fairey |
| Air force | Rhodesian Air Force |
| Rank | Flight lieutenant |
John Stephen Fairey FRAeS (21 April 1935 – 8 July 2009) was an English aviator.
Early life
Fairey was the second son of Sir Charles Richard Fairey, founder of the Fairey Aviation Company.[1] He was educated at Eton and Magdalene College, Cambridge.[1][2]
Career
Fairey gained his pilot licence in Canada, flying seaplanes.[1] While at the University of Cambridge, he joined the Cambridge University Air Squadron and flew de Havilland Canada Chipmunk and North American Harvard aircraft.[2] In the 1960s, Fairey became a pilot with Cambrian Airways,[3] flying Douglas DC-3, Vickers Viscount and BAC One-Eleven aeroplanes.[2]
After emigrating to Rhodesia in 1978, he joined the Rhodesian Air Force,[1] returning to England after the Bush War.[3] He flew with Channel Express until his retirement in 2000.[3]
After his retirement, Fairey continued to fly in displays, particularly in his Spitfire trainer.[4] He later sold this aircraft and commissioned the construction of a Fairey Flycatcher, which is now on show at the Fleet Air Arm Museum.[2]
Appointed positions
Fairey was chairman of the Museum of Army Flying's Development Trust, vice-president of the Historic Aircraft Association, a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and a liveryman of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators.[2] He was also Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire.[1]
Death
Fairey died on 8 July 2009[5] when the Percival Provost T1 he was piloting crashed in a field near Bishop Norton in Lincolnshire.[2][3] The aircraft, which had been on display at RAF Waddington, was based at Brimpton Airfield in Berkshire.[1][4] He is survived by his daughter, his three sons predeceased him.[3] He also had a second wife, Beverley, née Halford.
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Captain John Fairey". The Daily Telegraph. London. 23 July 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f "Captain John Fairey: airline captain". The Times. News Corporation. 7 August 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Police name pilot killed in Bishop Norton air crash". Market Rasen Mail. Johnston Press. 10 July 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Obituary: Captain John Fairey". Brimpton Airfield. 31 December 2009. Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
- ^ Wakefield, Ken. "Obituaries. John Fairey". Cambrian Airways. Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
