David Davies

David Pettit Davies (11 April 1920 – 30 November 2003) was a British test pilot who was chief test pilot for the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority for 33 years. He was known as "the test pilots' test pilot".

Career Davies was born in Neath, South Wales. He joined the Royal Navy in 1940, and first served as a torpedo man. He survived the sinking of HMS Patia in April 1941. He joined the Fleet Air Arm, flying his first solo on a Tiger Moth in 1941, and served in 818 Naval Air Squadron on the carrier HMS Unicorn off Norway, Biscay and in the Salerno landings, At the time, stick pushers were controversial. During his work on the Comet, he worked with R. E. Bishop.

His book, Handling the Big Jets (1967), is a classic of aviation and is still recommended in the 21st century. He was a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. He was given the Dorothy Spicer Award in 1966 by the Society of Licensed Aircraft Engineers. He married Jean, who died in 1996. They had two sons. He retired in 1982.

Books